Bitter Memories
by Eidraith
Summary: TRIGGER WARNING - ABUSE, MENTIONS OF SELF HARM AND SUICIDE. Beca Mitchell, a teenager that has seen what dark things the world has to offer, she is saved from an abusive father by her best friend Stacie and her mother. Follow Beca's story as she and Stacie move across State for a better school and life. Will there be consequences? Slow-burn Bechloe and Staubrey.
1. Introduction

"Come on Beca! You know how much my mum loves you, spend the night at mine!"

Stacie pouted at her best friend, they were fifteen years old and standing outside their High School, Beca just stared at the other girl with a look of discomfort on her face.

"Stacie I can't, Dad wants me home tonight…"

Stacie pouted. "He wants you home every night! It's been a year and he still has this hold on you Becs! I miss my best friend!"

Beca lowered her eyes. "I miss her too. I know how long it's been but he needs me Stace, now I've really gotta go."

The small girl scampered away before Stacie could stop her; she took out her phone and dialled her mother's number. The phone was answered after two rings.

"Did you see, mom?"

Stacie heard a sigh from the other end of the line. "Yes, I'm across the street. Jump in the car and we'll talk, I love you."

"Love you too…" Stacie replied before hanging up.

She sprinted to her mother's car, it was a black Ford Fusion and it sat inconspicuously in the line of cars along the busy street. Stacie dumped her bag on the back seat before climbing into the passenger seat, finally allowing her worry show on her face.

"Something's up Mom" she began. "I know what happened but Beca's acting beyond grief, she doesn't even play sport anymore!"

Stacie's mom pursed her lips. "I don't know Stace; this could be her way of accepting it? Everyone handles grief differently-"

"No!" Stacie cut her off in a huff. "Beca isn't the type of person to let her emotions rule her for this long, she normally would've acted strong for me when I was dealing with her Mom's death and forgot her own troubles. She's shutting me out Mom; Beca would never do that unless something was seriously wrong!"

Stacie stopped her rant when she felt a hand squeeze her arm gently. "Tell me what's changed in the last few months, honey."

"She's just changed. I mean after it happened she took some time off but it's like she's still going through the pain. She doesn't sing anymore, she's getting thrown out of class, she's withdrawn, her grades have dropped, and she doesn't eat properly. I'm scared she's dying Mom! She only wears black and every inch of her skin is covered, we can't even touch her without her jumping a mile!"

Cassie sat back, her jaw slacked for a moment, and she knew what a possibility in this situation but no way. There was no way it could be true.

: :

"How was school?"

"Fine."

"That's not an answer Beca."

"…"

The breath left Beca before she could reply, or even beg for mercy, her father's fist connected with her stomach and it sent the teenager to her knees. Her vision went blurry and she wanted to be sick, she couldn't breathe properly and all she could register was John's voice from above her.

"It's your fault she's gone, we were happy before you were born. As soon as you started to grow up she went downhill, it's your fault she isn't alive and with me. She never loved you, who could love a pathetic little wretch like you?"

He punctuated the last sentence with a hard kick to her ribs. Beca rolled on to her back, tears pouring down her cheeks.

 _Mom I'm sorry._

"Look at you, crying like your tears will bring her back. You deserve this, you know that don't you?" John growled as he hit her again.

"Yes… I deserve it, it's my fault Mom is gone…" Beca whispered, trying to ignore the fierce burning in her ribs.

John yelled a stream of curses, making Beca try to crawl away. Her efforts were futile as John brought his foot down on Beca's leg, snapping the bone. She reared her head back and screamed a high pitched cry of agony. She wanted to die, she begged for her father to kill her, to finally be released from her pain.

The last thing she saw before her vision went dark was John pulling a knife from the kitchen…

: :

Cassie and Stacie were shooting down the highway of Los Angeles, way over the speed limit but Cassie was in no position to care. An empty feeling had begun to curl in the pit of her stomach, she had a hunch about what was wrong with Beca but she couldn't afford to make any accusations. Stacie had her head buried in her hands and she was crying, she knew this was serious, her mother never freaked out.

She had noticed the strained body language of Cassie, the rigid posture and the constant biting of her lip.

"Her Dad is hurting her isn't he."

Cassie whimpered, hearing the words said out loud was so much more difficult than simply thinking them, it made everything more concrete. "I don't know, baby."

"Don't bullshit me!" Stacie yelled. She never swore at her mother. "My best friend is being abused and I didn't fucking notice!"

"Stacie Conrad you take down your tone right now." Cassie spoke with coldness in her voice. "If we are right we are going to protect Beca and if I have to kill that man to protect my second daughter I will."

Stacie stared at her, she hoped to God that Beca was okay but she knew what her mother was capable of when it came to protecting her children.

They swerved around the corner of Beca's street and the tires screeched as the car came to a stop outside Beca's home. Their blood ran cold as a bone-chilling scream pierced the air, Cassie reached into the back of the car and pulled out a metallic baseball bat, she looked at Stacie. "Stay here, call the police and tell them the situation. Do not follow me in there. I don't know if John will try and harm me but I need to put you and Beca first, so I will go alone and try and hold him off until the police arrive."

Stacie went to protest but nodded reluctantly; she pulled her phone out and called 911 as Cassie moved out of the car and towards the house.

: :

Cassie kicked the door down and moved quickly, her eyes darted around each room searching for either Beca or John. An irregular thud kept occurring upstairs; Cassie prayed that it wasn't the sound of him beating Beca as she moved through the house.

A blood trail ran through the living room and into the kitchen from the stairs, Cassie gagged as she gazed upon the knife that was covered in blood.

 _Protect Beca._ She repeated to herself as she crept up the stairs, following the trail of blood. She walked up to a partially opened door and the smell was putrid, vomit and blood. Taking a quiet breath she burst into the room and swung at the first human she saw, which was John.

The bat cracked his jaw and he dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, Cassie cried out when she saw the beaten and broken body of Beca Mitchell. She heard a crash downstairs and a yell of "Police!"

"Up here! This girl needs help!" Cassie screamed, taking the girl into her arms.

Beca looked up at Cassie and it broke her heart to see the girl so small and fearful. "Cass?" She whispered, her voice broken from her screaming. "Hurts…"

"I'm here baby, everything's gonna be fine now I promise." She mumbled, trying to placate the girl as she fell unconscious.

Stacie burst into the room with two police officers; she burst into tears at the sight of Beca and ran over to her. "Beca… What happened, Mom?"

"I came in and saw him beating her down, I took him out with the bat and then you walked in. We need to get her to a hospital." She answered Stacie whilst looking at the officers. They directed her downstairs where an ambulance was waiting. Beca was loaded inside but Cassie and Stacie were not allowed in with her.

"I'm sorry Ma'am, you aren't family."

"Are you fucking kidding me? That man they are arresting is her biological father; we are the only true family she has left!" Stacie pushed the man, making him hit the doors of his vehicle.

Cassie grabbed her daughter. "We'll follow behind. We need to get the car Stace, come on we'll get to the hospital right behind them."

Her daughter reluctantly nodded, she turned and tried to move to the car before seeing the police removing all the items from the house with blood on. She dived for the nearest bush and was violently sick, she cried for her friend. Why didn't she say anything? Why didn't she notice the trouble herself? Was she that bad of a friend and sister?

Cassie rubbed her daughter's back soothingly. "Don't worry, we'll keep her safe."

The two women moved to their car and set out for the hospital, the same thought running through their minds as the silence filled the air between them. They would keep Beca safe, even if it meant sacrificing everything.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Right, I didn't preview the introduction so sorry it's a little messed up and I'll do the proper Author's Note for the story now.**_

 _ **Welcome! My newest story filled with angst and drama, I'll write a trigger warning at the start of every chapter that directly talks about abuse such as flashbacks or someone explaining something. Also the story is rated M because of its serious nature but there might be smut later on, I'll give warnings of that too since I know some people don't like that.**_

 _ **Primarily Bechloe and Staubrey but I might put other things in too, haven't thought that far. I'll try and write this as fast as I can but I have my college enrolment, my birthday and my exam results coming up all in one week so I might be a little busy soon. Have a little patience and I'll get this done for now enjoy the reading.**_

 _ **TW – Mentions of assault/injuries.**_

* * *

Cassie was freaking out.

She had to remind herself to obey the law when following the ambulance; she couldn't run red lights like they could. Stacie had already had a panic attack when she lost sight of the other vehicle, so Cassie had to take her attention off the road to make her daughter breathe properly again.

By the time they reached the hospital the both of them were swearing under their breath as they had to dodge people that didn't think that the laws of the road applied to them. As soon as Cassie pulled to a stop in a space, Stacie had opened the door and started a sprint to the tall building opposite them. Cassie locked the door to the car and broke into a run, quickly catching up with her daughter as they moved to the desk in the reception.

"A girl was just brought in? Beca Mitchell?" Stacie spoke urgently.

The look of pity that appeared on the woman's face almost immediately was in no way comforting. "You are the women that saved her?"

Cassie nodded. "Yes, we called for the ambulance."

The woman then motioned towards the hallway. "I've been told to let you through; the driver of the ambulance says your daughter put up a bit of a fight. Straight down this hall, turn left and it's the third door on your left. They won't let you in right away given the severity of her injuries-"

"What do you mean 'severity'?" Stacie cut the woman off.

"She caused quite a fuss when she was brought in; I'm guessing she's been rushed into surgery. If anyone questions why you are down there, explain that you called it in and you're essentially family."

Something about the casualness of the woman's tone made Cassie want to yell at her, she simply nodded her thanks and pulled Stacie down the hallway.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Stacie asked in a small voice.

Cassie pulled her daughter into her arms, not trusting her voice to reply.

* * *

It must have been a few hours later when Cassie was woken by Stacie shaking her arm, she opened her eyes to see a middle aged woman standing in front of her. She had the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen, she had brown hair and stood with a straight posture. Cassie stood up when the woman smiled reassuringly; she stuck out a hand as she spoke.

"My name is Rachel, I am the doctor in charge of Beca's condition, and she's out of danger now. We had to perform minor surgery to remove some shrapnel from her abdomen area and give a transfusion as she lost a lot of blood." Rachel spoke professionally as she shook Cassie's hand.

Both Cassie and Stacie sighed in relief.

"Can we see her?" Stacie asked.

"You can but she isn't conscious, she might not wake up for a few days which will give her body time to heal."

"How bad were the injuries? All I saw was a lot of blood…"

Stacie gagged slightly; she turned her face away for a moment and fought back tears. This was her best friend; she was amazing, kind and caring. She could be bitter and sarcastic but that only added to her charm, why in the world would Dr Mitchell try and kill his daughter?

"The injuries were primarily focused upon her torso; there is bruising and markings on her ribs, abdomen and back. This tells us that she was being abused for quite a while because they vary in their stage of healing, there's also something you need to know…"

Rachel's voice had taken on a bitter tone towards the end of her explanation, she sighed before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to become emotionally involved in my patients but something has happened to Beca that I have never come across before."

"What?" Stacie gritted her teeth.

Rachel looked at Cassie. "I don't know if it would be proper to discuss this with your daughter-"

"No." Cassie cut her off. "Stacie is her best friend and I intend on adopting her once she has recovered. There's no way I am allowing her to live with her other family members, they will only defend John's behaviour."

Rachel nodded reluctantly. She beckoned them into the room across the hall which held Beca. She was lying in the bed with a IV Drip attached to her arm, a regular beeping was the only thing that broke the silence in the room, showing that Beca's heart rate was at a steady pace.

"She's so pale…" Cassie trailed away as Stacie moved next to the bed and took her hand.

It broke their hearts to see the normally strong girl so broken and weak, without her thick eyeliner and typical scowl she resembled an innocent puppy. Stacie moved a few strands of hair away from her face, then leaned forward and kissed her forehead lightly. "Hey Becs, it's your old pal Stace."

Cassie moved forward to stop her daughter but Rachel grabbed her arm and shook her head. "This will be good for both of them; it might bring Beca back to us faster."

She noticed that the doctor had a very caring aura about her. "You have children of your own don't you?"

Rachel nodded. "Two, one of them is grown up but the other is Beca's age. I could never imagine hurting my children like this."

"Would they know each other? I mean you work in this hospital and my girls go to school here"

Rachel shook her head. "I doubt it; we live on the other side of the city. We use the High School there."

Cassie nodded thoughtfully. "I've been thinking of moving for a while, I mean the end of the school year is coming up, I need to get Beca away from here. Too many memories for her, it'll stop her healing. How good is the school?"

"It's really good, decent finals results, the students are generally nice kids, the teachers are known to be cool. Plus the sport teams are excellent." Rachel supplied helpfully.

Cassie didn't give a definite reply, but instead focused her attention on Stacie.

"You should know, we're gonna take you in. You'll be a proper member of the family now, even though none of us think that we need some stupid paperwork to prove it, we'll move schools if you want. Try somewhere new, meet some good people, and get your grades back up. We can do it I promise, I'll beat up anyone that stands in our way, well I will after you've finished with them of course." She laughed quietly.

"I just need you to come back to me first."

Stacie then pressed one more kiss to Beca's forehead and moved backwards; she leaned her head on to her mother's shoulder and sighed. "I'm gonna go get some coffee, want one Mom?"

Cassie nodded her head and then Stacie offered one to the doctor. Rachel tried to say no but Stacie wouldn't have it. "No it's okay, you're taking care of Beca this is the least I can do."

Stacie then ran out the door and left the two adults alone. Cassie moved forward and took the same spot her daughter had left. Rachel broke the silence softly. "Would you like me to leave you alone for a few moments?"

Cassie shook her head. "No, I think you might be the reason I haven't cried yet. Has anyone ever told you that you have a very comforting presence?"

Rachel chuckled for a moment before moving to the other side of the bed, opposite Cassie. The other woman raised an eyebrow at Rachel's chuckling. "Don't be offended, that isn't the first time I've heard that question. Apparently that trait runs in the family."

Cassie smiled before becoming serious. "Now what was it that you wanted to tell me, I will tell Stacie but I think it's best to tell me first so I know how to handle the situation."

The doctor nodded before pulling the blanket away from Beca's lower half, she went to lift up the sleeping girl's hospital gown but paused for a moment. "As I'm sure you are aware, I have seen a lot of injuries in my time. Some of them self-inflicted, accidental, I have dealt with abuse cases also but something that the police have now been notified of makes this a lot more personal and serious."

"You're scaring me, just get to the point."

Rachel sighed. "He left something for her, a message, a reminder, I don't know yet. We aren't going to know until she wakes up and is ready to be questioned. The next few months or even years are going to be rough for her; I just want you to know that if you need help my family will be here for you"

Cassie was touched; she seemed to really care for them. "Thank you, now I think Stace is on her way back so can you please show me?"

Rachel needed no more incentive; she lifted the gown past Beca's hips and up to her waist. Cassie thanked the heavens that Beca had underwear on; Rachel moved the waistband slightly lower and averted her eyes at what had been revealed.

Cassie backed away, her jaw falling open as the tears finally began to build in her eyes. She wanted to scream, she wanted to break down, and she wanted to run to wherever John was being held and tear him apart herself.

* * *

Stacie arrived back in the room holding three cups of coffee to see her mother being sick into a metal bin, Rachel stood behind her whilst rubbing her back soothingly. Stacie felt electric spikes of fear run through her system when she noticed the silent tear running down the doctor's cheek. Beca seemed fine so she paced the drinks on the table and moved to her mother, trying not to gag at the smell of vomit drifting from the bin.

"Mom what's wrong? What's happened?" She whispered urgently.

Cassie motioned to the woman standing behind her, there's no way she would be able to tell her daughter this herself. She felt a little guilty by throwing the other woman under the bus so to speak but she felt as if she had no other choice.

Stacie turned to the doctor, slowly losing her patience. "Tell me!"

Once more, the doctor moved to Beca and removed the blanket, lifting the gown Rachel asked once more if she was sure. Stacie looked at the doctor and took notice of the uncertainty in her eyes, Stacie's determination faltered for a minute before shaking her head to clear her thoughts and nodding furiously.

The doctor moved the waistline of Beca's underwear and moved back so the light could hit the area; Stacie gasped and began to shake. She moved away and leaned her head against the wall, breathing deeply.

Rachel looked down once more and fought the bile building at the back of her throat.

In a scrawl that was similar to the logo of the band Slayer, the word 'WRETCH' had been carved into Beca's left hip.

* * *

" _Dad no, please no more…" Beca cried out, knowing she'd regret opening her eyes._

 _John stared down at her, twisting his mouth and flaring his nostrils in a way that screamed 'disgust'. He hit her with a broken bottle, Beca screamed when she felt a piece of the glass pierce her skin and stay there, she was half aware that she was most likely going to bleed out. This was it; she was going to die here, alone with no one to hold her, at the hands of her monstrous father._

 _She was also aware of her father's favourite phrase being said repeatedly, with different amounts of volume and anger each time._

' _ **Dirty little wretch.'**_

 _The words seemed to hurt more than the violence; he had been calling her that ever since her mother had died. Right in that moment she was more desperate for her mother than ever. She needed someone to tell her that death is nothing to be afraid of, the closest thing she had to family was Cassie and Stacie._

 _ **Oh god.**_ _Beca thought to herself._ _ **Why didn't I trust them? Why didn't I reach out when they asked if I was okay?**_

 _When she saw John's smirk she was reminded of why she didn't say anything, it wasn't their burden to bear. She deserved this, if she had to die to make up for her crimes then so be it._

 _Beca closed her eyes and tried to not yell as she felt a searing agony from her left hip, there was blood coating her father and it was all over the floor. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was all hers, whenever she tried to fight back the punishment was made ten times worse. She felt faint, most likely due to pain and blood loss._

 _She had lost the ability to scream for help, all she could do was whisper. "Please…"_

 _The last thing she was before she blacked out was John pulling a bloody knife away from her lower body; he looked up and smirked at her._

* * *

 _ **Is it cool if I do a time-skip soon? It won't be much, just a couple of months so I don't have to write Beca's recovery in proper detail. I will go over it but mainly in mentioning and flashbacks, I just want to get the ball rolling a little and introduce the rest of the characters. It won't be immediate, I'll still write a few chapters based around Beca waking up and the adoption and the rest of her time in hospital. Leave a review if you want, I love hearing feedback :D**_


	3. Chapter 2

_**I just want to say a massive thank you for the support that's been shown to me already and we haven't even properly got into this yet. I know some people don't like it but I have some replies.**_

 _ **Scouse2006 – Thank you, I hope to write them well and I'm not saying anything but we will meet Rachel's child I promise.**_

 _ **Elizaakate – I hope that it doesn't get boring since I have to fill in the blanks a little before getting them into a new school but thanks for the advice.**_

 _ **LexysK123 – Again I'm not saying a word but we do meet Rachel's child, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I have little writing experience with abuse so I'm trying to make it seem as realistic as possible. I'll add in what you want to see too :D**_

 _ **Kisskendrick – Thank you!**_

 _ **Rubiksmaniac – I'll go over her injuries in the next chapter, Beca will be told how to care for herself, when to go through physiotherapy etc. I don't know if I'll write in John in custody, if I do it won't be very long and it'll probably be an insight to his treatment and his own struggles. (In his mind what he did is justified so his 'struggles' is his 'unfair' treatment) but thank you.**_

 _ **I'm aware that this is going at a fast pace but I am going to slow it down a little soon because everyone knows that healing is a slow process. Beca will get better but it's a long journey to become who she used to be and even more, I'm not used to writing the bits in between the drama so hopefully I'll do it justice. Now I'll shut up and you can read, as always leave a review if you can I love the opinions.**_

* * *

The next few days were spent with Cassie and Stacie bouncing between their home and the hospital, Stacie had been allowed to take time away from school due to the emotional trauma of the incident. They had also been notified about Beca's situation and they had sent their condolences along with a promise of not divulging the information to anyone that didn't need to know.

On the way to the hospital one day, Stacie came up with an idea. She turned to her mother and quickly explained. "Would it be a good idea if Beca learnt self-defence? I mean she's going to freak out if anyone comes near her too fast and if she gets into a fight I don't want her to close off and risk her getting hurt again. I know you want the peace of mind too Mom, she'll need something to rely on if I'm not there."

Cassie pursed her lips, appearing to be deep in thought. "It is a good idea but I don't know how she'd react to the training. Rachel has told me that she'll need to undergo therapy to help deal with the experience, but she also said we have the advantage because she trusts us implicitly and we're taking her in. Would you do it with her?"

Stacie took a moment to reply. "Yeah I guess; it couldn't hurt to learn how to protect myself."

"Well it's settled then, as soon as Beca is comfortable we'll give her the idea and if she is willing I'll sort out hiring a trainer."

Stacie pursed her lips and then bit her lip in worry. "We keep making these plans, but is she going to want to move in with us? What if she says no?"

Cassie shook her head. "She won't baby, she might not be comfortable with the idea at first but we just give her time and she'll warm up to it."

Stacie didn't look convinced. "I hope so."

* * *

They had only seen Rachel twice more after the very first visit, apparently she had other cases to work on as well as Beca's, meaning that she wasn't present all the time. However when she was there, the doctor greeted them with warm smiles and hope-inspiring information.

"She's recovering really well; I think she'll wake up soon, either today or in the next few days."

The smile that Stacie was showcasing for the rest of the day was almost blinding, she didn't move from Beca's bed side after they had spoken to Rachel unless she absolutely had to. She continued to speak to the sleeping girl in soft tones, hoping that her voice would bring Beca out of her coma.

Stacie looked at her mother who was sleeping in a chair on the other side of the room, completely oblivious to the buzzing of her phone.

"Mom." She called out, Cassie didn't reply so she tried again but a lot louder. " _Mom!_ "

Cassie shot up and blinked quickly so her eyes could adjust to the light. "What Stace? Is she awake?"

She shook her head. "No but your phone is ringing."

Cassie looked at her mobile and her eyebrows furrowed; she picked up the phone and stepped outside to answer. "Hello?"

"Mrs Conrad? This is Detective Inspector Williams from the Atlanta Police Department; I'm told that you and your daughter are the ones that discovered Miss Mitchell?"

"Yes, we did. Can I ask why you're calling? I just want to get back to Beca's bedside."

She heard the man on the other end of the line take a deep breath before responding. "I am the officer in charge of the case regarding Beca Mitchell's abuse, I'm calling to not only express my deepest condolences but also I need to speak to you about a few things."

Cassie moved through the hallway and found a seat she could sit in. "Very well, go ahead."

"What is happening regarding Miss Mitchell's living conditions, is she being given to the state, is someone taking her in?"

"She will be coming to live with myself and my daughter, we have been friends to Beca for a long time and I believe that it's the safest option for her to come into our care." Cassie replied, feeling slightly tense as she believed that the department may try and take Beca away.

"Very well, I just needed confirmation so I can fill out the paperwork. Obviously you'll need to fill out adoption papers which we will get to you, technically I'm not meant to boost these things through our channels using my rank but Miss Mitchell deserves to not have to spend the mean time in a care centre-"

"Thank you! Thank you so much" Cassie interrupted quickly, grateful to the man.

"You're welcome." He replied, Cassie grinned at the smile she could hear in his voice. "I also need your permission for Beca to be questioned whenever she is able; we need a statement and maybe even a testimony if that animal pleads not guilty."

Cassie was stumped, she didn't know if Beca would want to talk about the incident with her and Stacie, let alone the authorities. "I- I'm not sure, she might not be stable for a while yet. She hasn't even woken, but she is meant to wake up in the next few days so I can run the idea by her and get back to you?"

He didn't reply for a minute. "That'll be fine, I'll stop by next Tuesday with the adoption papers, I should have them by then, if you're told that Beca is meant to be discharged before I have seen you then ring this number and ask for DI Williams. I'll need to know so I can rush it through."

"Yes, that'll be great. Thank you so much officer, you have no idea how grateful we are."

"You have a good day Mrs Conrad, take care of the girl." Williams gave his goodbyes and then hung up.

Cassie smiled to herself, so many people were willing to be unprofessional and even break the rules in order to help Beca. She would get better with everyone's help, she knew it.

* * *

"What was that about?" Stacie asked when she returned to the room, her eyes never leaving Beca's pale form.

"The head of the investigation into John, he's rushing the adoption papers through so we can take her home instead of a hostel."

"Breaking the rules? I like this guy." Stacie laughed. "She has a little more colour in her cheeks, but she's still so pale."

Cassie chuckled. "She's always been pale, love. She'll wake up soon, I'm sure of it."

Stacie didn't reply, she wore a small smile as she took Beca's hand into her own and squeezed lightly.

"I never thought I'd see my baby sister so broken, she didn't even say anything, does she not trust me?" Stacie turned to look at her mother, fear showing on her face.

"She's only three months younger than you Stace; she's only your baby sister because of the height difference." Cassie arched an eyebrow, making Stacie smile softly before she continued. "It isn't that she doesn't trust you, she was probably trying to protect you. She never wants to burden other people with her problems; if this has been going on for as long as we think then I'm guessing that John made her feel as if she deserved every beating he gave her."

Stacie growled, literally growled. "If I ever see him again I'll kill him. No one touches Beca and gets away with it."

"He's going away Stace, there was enough evidence at the scene and we haven't even given our statements yet." Cassie tried to reassure her before being brutally interrupted.

"I did some research Mom; the maximum he'll serve is ten years. He'll be out and he'll come back for her, grudges like this don't just fade Mom."

Cassie wrapped her arms around her daughter from behind whilst Stacie was sat next to Beca. "I know, we'll keep her safe I promise. He will never touch her again."

Stacie took a deep breath before nodding; she was trying to not show how terrified she was. They would be starting a new school come the next year, Beca would have to go to therapy, plus they were learning how to defend themselves, also they had to help put John behind bars. She had no idea how the younger girl was going to react to the entire situation, she was going to be vulnerable for a long time, and she was going to be very, very angry.

"Well Becs, looks like we'll be taking you home as soon as you're discharged. The state won't be taking you until we get the adoption thing done after all, I'm gonna go get you some stuff for your room at our place since we can't take anything from your old room, evidence and stuff. If you even think of saying that we don't have to take you in I'm gonna slap you silly." Stacie spoke, gripping Beca's hand even tighter. "You practically have your own room at our house anyway, now you can be there full time."

Cassie squeezed her daughter's shoulder. "We should go home baby, get some sleep and come back in the morning."

Stacie sighed but nodded. "Okay Mom, we've gotta go Beca. Wake up soon yeah? We've got so much to catch up on."

Stacie then stood up however she paused before turning away. She took her hand once more and then leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Love you kid."

Cassie went to move to the door but turned after she heard Stacie gasp.

"What is it?" She asked, looking at her daughter frantically.

"She squeezed my hand!"

Cassie looked at Beca for any signs of consciousness. "I'll go find a doctor, do not leave her side."

"Wouldn't dream of it." She heard Stacie reply before taking off down the hallway.

Stacie moved from her chair to sit on the side of the bed. "Becs? Can you hear me? Baby can you open your eyes?"

Beca shifted slightly before mumbling.

Stacie looked on, filled with hope.

Beca moved her head to the side but her eyes remained shut. "Love you too Stace…" She mumbled before falling back into her slumber.

"Beca? Beca!"

Stacie moved her free hand to the girl's face and stroked her cheek gently. "Come on, you can do it."

The door flew open and Cassie ran inside with Rachel on her heels.

The doctor instantly went to Beca's side and began checking her pulse, breathing and the machines beside her bed.

"What happened?" Rachel asked in a soft tone.

"I was talking to her like you said to do and I said I loved her and she squeezed my hand, then when Mom went to find you she shuffled around a bit and said _'Love you too Stace'_ before falling unconscious again. Is she okay?" Stacie explained quickly.

"She's fine, sorry to scare you Stacie. If her body wasn't ready for her to respond to environmental stimuli such as responding to hearing such a familiar sentence, she could have had a heart attack from the shock."

Stacie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "So she's gonna be fine?"

Rachel nodded, quickly grinning at the relieved expressions on their faces. "She's waking up, slowly but it's happening."

"Soon then?" Cassie asked.

Rachel pursed her lips. "If we're lucky, then she'll wake by the end of the night. If not tonight then tomorrow or Thursday, I'm pretty sure."

Stacie turned to her mother. "We're not going home, I won't leave her. She'll freak out if she wakes up alone."

Cassie turned to Rachel. "Isn't this against hospital rules?"

Rachel scoffed. "Let me worry about that, we don't see cases like this very often and if anyone questions it they'll have me to answer to. No one but I and the regular nurse will interrupt you tonight, I have to do rounds but I'll be back as soon as I can."

The doctor nodded her goodbyes before leaving the room.

Stacie took up her usual seat next to Beca's bed. "I'm so grateful to her; she's doing so much to make sure we can stay here for Becs. Her kid goes to Barden right? If we're moving there then hopefully we'll see he again?"

Cassie nodded. "Yeah, I'll make sure of it. We'll have to do something for her once you and Beca are settled into the new school."

Stacie smiled. "It's going be a long night Mom, you should get some sleep."

Cassie shook her head furiously. "You've had less sleep than me, no way."

Stacie grinned at her mother. "You know me and Beca don't sleep much when we're together. I'll work better with the lack of sleep than you will. Go to the couch, take a nap. I'll wake you if anything happens."

Cassie's eyes softened at how mature her daughter was, anyone else probably wouldn't have been able to handle this. "Thanks kiddo."

Stacie mock glared. "Go to sleep woman."

Cassie grinned again before stretching out on the small couch near the back of the room; she closed her eyes and willed herself to fall asleep. The rhythmic beeping of the ECG next to Beca's bed lulled her into a light sleep.

* * *

 _ **I'm going to leave this here, kind of a filler chapter. Beca wakes up soon I promise and I'm planning on doing an extremely long chapter which will be filled with drama and angst, it'll either be soon with the small family you've seen already or I might wait and do it with the other characters involved. Won't say which ones though ;) See you next time.**_


	4. Chapter 3

Cassie managed to sleep through the entire night; Stacie was tempted to wake her so she could get at least _some_ sleep. However she knew that there was no way she'd be able to get any sleep knowing that Beca could wake up at any moment. So she sat at the side of the bed dutifully, regularly running her fingers through Beca's hair as a means of comforting her unconscious mind. Beca had always had little quirks and traits that marked her out as different. For example how she came across as the 'I don't give a fuck about you type' yet she loved cuddles and people running their fingers through her hair. Yet no one but her and her mother knew about this. As painful as it was for Stacie to admit, this broken girl lying in the bed in front of her was the real Beca. No matter how hard she tried, the version that she had known, who baked cookies with her and cuddled her while she cried for her absent father a few years ago, didn't exist anymore; it would take a miracle to bring her back. She had been broken and torn apart by a man that was meant to care for her and protect her from the very things that he had become himself.

Stacie looked down on the bruises and cuts that she had been given, the scream that her and her mother had heard echoing throughout her ears as she thought back to the scene she had witnessed when they rescued Beca. Blood smeared along the walls, even though she had been told that Beca had put up a fight (due to the furniture that had been thrown around) she knew that the blood was Beca's. She also knew that it was a miracle that she hadn't died, if Cassie hadn't made the connection that Beca was being abused, she would most likely have been murdered that day. Stacie tried to think back to happier days when Beca was still happy and safe.

* * *

" _Get your butts down here, dinner's ready!" Cassie yelled._

 _Heavy sounds of feet hitting the floor upstairs could be heard from the kitchen; Cassie heard Stacie cry out and Beca laughing like a maniac. She walked into the living room with an eyebrow raised as she saw Stacie walking down the stairs with a grinning Beca on her back._

" _Care to explain the shouting?"_

 _Stacie turned her head and glared at Beca, the smaller girl just breaking into laughter again._

" _Stacie thought it'd be a good idea to race me down here because she has the legs of a titan, so when she went to jump down the stairs I jumped on her back-"_

" _You about gave me a heart attack! You could've killed us both!" Stacie tried to appear angry but Beca's infuriatingly wide grin made it difficult._

 _Cassie whipped the towel at the two girls. "You could have seriously hurt yourselves! If it happens again then you'll get no more of my cookies."_

 _Beca paused and her eyes widened dramatically. "Never again, I swear."_

 _She then jumped down from Stacie's back and ran into the kitchen; she scooped up a plate and a fork before dancing back into the living room with a content smile on her face. Cassie shook her head and nodded for Stacie to join the other girl on the couch; she quickly grabbed the other two plates and forks from the kitchen and then sat down next to the two girls whilst passing Stacie her plate._

" _Thanks for letting me stay tonight Cass." Beca spoke up after chewing down a mouthful of pasta._

" _Baby, you practically live here, there is no need to thank me." Cassie grinned at her._

 _Beca smirked but gave no further reply as she focused on her dinner._

 _Later on in the evening, Beca had passed out on the couch in front of the television. Stacie turned to her mother and said. "Don't worry, I'll get her to bed, she can crash with me tonight."_

 _Cassie looked down at Beca's sleeping form and smiled, the girl was so cute, but if she heard you saying that then she'd probably try and take your arm off. "Sure you can carry her? I can get some blankets for her if you want?"_

 _Stacie shook her head. "No. She prefers to sleep with me nearby and I'd rather not have to sleep on the couch to keep her comfortable."_

 _Cassie nodded before turning on her heel and taking off for the stairs. "Night Stacie."_

" _Night Mom" She called in reply._

 _Stacie then placed her right arm behind Beca's back and her left arm underneath her knees so she could pull her in close. She then stood up and brought Beca up with her, allowing the smaller girl to curl into her, Beca twisted slightly and mumbled something unintelligible before nuzzling her face into Stacie's neck._

 _Stacie chuckled quietly as the self-proclaimed 'badass' curled into her like a four year old. She began to walk up the stairs, careful to not jostle Beca too much. As she reached the top of the stairs, the door to the bathroom opened and Cassie stepped out, she looked up at her daughter cradling the girl in her arms and smiled._

" _This would never have happened if she was conscious, wait here I need to get my phone."_

 _Cassie ran down the hall and into her bedroom, leaping over the bed to grab her iPhone, she then ran back out and to her original position in front of the two girls._

 _Stacie raised an eyebrow. "You're lucky she weighs nothing or I would've dropped her by now."_

 _Cassie shushed her before opening the camera app and taking a few photos of them, Stacie grinned madly as each photo was taken, they were going to screw with Beca so hard with this._

 _Afterwards, Cassie opened the door to Stacie's room before bidding them a goodnight; Stacie placed Beca on the bed and turned around to close the door. She quickly changed into a pair of shorts and a pink vest top before climbing into the sheets next to Beca, who had burrowed into them herself. The sleeping girl turned over and moved into Stacie's side, she sighed as the warmth enveloped her._

" _Bitter and hateful, my ass." Stacie whispered to herself as she wrapped an arm around Beca's midsection._

" _Tell anyone and I'll kill you." Beca mumbled before falling back into her slumber._

 _Stacie hadn't even realised she was awake; she kissed her forehead lightly before replying. "Whatever you say DJ."_

* * *

Stacie leapt to her feet when she felt a hand on her shoulder; she spun around to see Rachel holding her hands up in surrender.

"Sorry Stacie didn't mean to scare you."

She took a deep breath before responding. "It's okay, I was just lost in thought I guess."

"About Beca? I take it you guys have known each other for a long time?"

Stacie smiled. "Yeah, been friends since before I can remember. Our Mom's knew each other in college so we kind of grew up together. She's practically my baby sister, I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to her."

Rachel placed a comforting hand on her shoulder again. "I had a hunch when we first met that you two were a little more than friends?"

Stacie burst into laughter, she covered her mouth with her hand to try and stifle her giggles. "You aren't the first person to think that, we have an extremely special friendship. We're very affectionate but we don't take it further than that."

"I kind of guessed that after a while." Rachel whispered.

"Besides, as far as we're aware Beca is straight. I've been openly bisexual for years."

The doctor didn't even bat an eyelid. "Don't worry, my son is openly gay, I would never judge someone based on who they love."

Stacie looked up. "Thank you, that means a lot."

"I'm guessing your mother and Beca are very supportive then?"

Stacie began to laugh again but calmed down quite quickly. "Beca is _very_ supportive."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "I feel like there's a story coming?"

"Pull up a chair, this story is one of my bittersweet favourites. It was fairly recently too."

"Can I get you a coffee first? Don't worry about money, you bought me one before, I won't be long I swear."

Stacie nodded. "Yeah of course, thank you as well."

Rachel smiled in acknowledgement before walking out of the room and to the cafeteria.

* * *

When she reached the large room, she moved to the coffee machines and placed two cups in the holders before turning them on. The low hum as they made the coffee was comforting as Rachel pulled out her phone.

Scrolling through her contacts, she found a number and hit 'call'.

Nodding a greeting to one of her colleagues, she put the phone to her ear when she heard the familiar voice on the other end of the line.

"Mom? You staying at the hospital tonight?"

"Yeah I'm staying, Cassie is asleep and I want to keep an eye on Stacie. Beca hasn't woken up yet so she needs to stay calm."

She could hear the smile in her daughter's voice. "I'll tell Dad you're working emergencies tonight, he won't say anything."

Rachel sighed in relief. "Thank you, I'll be home in the morning I promise."

Rachel was extremely grateful, her daughter was an angel, her father had tried to be understanding but this was taking over her free time. Charles was sympathetic with the situation but he still didn't like how his wife was almost never at home now on top of the long shifts she already worked.

"Don't worry, take care of Beca? I love you."

"I love you too, goodnight sweetheart."

The line went dead as Rachel pulled the two steaming Styrofoam cups of coffee from their place in the machines, putting her phone back into the pocket of her jeans she then picked up the two cups and made her way back to Beca's room. Nudging the door open with her a jerk of her hips, Stacie smiled at the sight of the caffeine boost in front of her.

She thanked the doctor and took a gentle sip from the drink that was given to her, hissing at the burning sensation enveloping her tongue. Rachel pulled up the spare chair next to Stacie so they could speak without awakening Cassie. "So what's this story?"

Stacie twisted to the side to give Rachel her attention whilst still keeping her eyes on Beca, afraid that if she turned her back then something might happen to the younger girl. "Some people weren't as respectful to my choices as you three are, I went through some trouble in my freshman year of High School and Beca was there to protect me when I didn't know how to react." She paused for a moment as the memories engulfed her.

* * *

" _What even are you?"_

" _Filthy little dyke."_

" _Not even gonna try and defend yourself?"_

 _Stacie bit her tongue to stop herself from crying out as she hit the lockers face first. A crowd had appeared to gather in the hallway where she was being attacked, she chose to not reply as her normal snarky comments would land her in a lot more trouble, courtesy of Beca, of course._

" _These people aren't here to help you; they're here to watch me kick your scrawny, unnatural ass, because no one wants to help an abomination."_

 _ **Don't listen to them.**_ _She repeated to herself._ _ **This will pass, not everyone is so narrow-minded.**_

" _You can't even speak!" The boy yelled as he moved towards her._

 _Stacie shrunk back, too shocked to do anything. She couldn't defend herself; he was going to hurt her-_

 _ **SMACK.**_

 _The boy, who she didn't know the name of, swung his closed fist and hit her right cheek. Her world shook slightly as she fell back against the lockers and leaned against them for support._

 _ **Don't react, there's no help coming. Let him get his anger out and he will leave you alone.**_ _She thought to herself again, preparing for another strike._

 _As the unknown boy clenched his fist again, a blur of colour shot out from the crowd and collided with the boy. He was taken off his feet and soon cried out as he was beaten mercilessly by Beca. He tried to put his elbows up to protect his face, but Beca just directed her blows to his midsection from where she was sat on his hips._

 _Stacie leapt to her feet as the crowd chanted. 'FIGHT. FIGHT. FIGHT.'_

 _She could hear Beca mumbling things as she hit the boy below her, he had blood pouring from his nose and mouth, also his left eye was starting to close up and swell. The boy quickly threw himself up in a last ditch attempt at protecting himself and sent Beca flying backwards as he shoved her._

 _She hit the legs of some of the people watching which caused bullets of pain to shoot up her spine as her back collided with them, as she saw her opponent getting to his feet; she shot upwards and went to dive for him again._

 _Stacie threw herself into Beca's path and caught her as she leapt, Beca tried to duck around her best friend but Stacie had her locked in a grip and refused to let go._

" _Beca no, you've done enough, leave him." She implored._

 _Beca growled. "No. Piece of shit deserves what's coming to him."_

 _Stacie held on tighter. "Don't you dare, he's down. You'll be lucky if you get away with this as it is."_

 _Stacie began to haul Beca away from the fight, the people parting like the Red Sea to let them pass. Beca ducked her head under Stacie's arm and began to shout. "If I ever, hear of you making comments about my friend's or anyone else's sexuality, I swear I will come back for you. You'll never see the light of day again asshole!"_

" _Tone down the dramatics, Frodo." Stacie huffed as she heaved Beca once again._

 _No one spoke as Beca stopped trying to break out of Stacie's hold, some pointed and laughed at the boy who had gotten to his feet and began to limp away from the scene, he might have broken his ribs. Beca whirled around at the sound of the laughter. "You don't get to laugh at him! You don't get to act like you were against him; did any of you do anything to help Stacie? Huh?"_

 _Most people had the decency to look down in shame; Beca rolled her eyes and huffed. "No, of fucking course not." She muttered._

" _Come on hero, let's get your hands cleaned up, you're gonna have some bruising there." Stacie whispered into Beca's ear as they moved to the bathroom._

* * *

"She stopped me from getting the beating of my life; no one questioned me after that. More people started to come out after as well since it was pretty obvious that if you were homophobic in any way, a 5 foot 2 machine would have come after you." Stacie laughed softly at the memories.

"Did she get away with it?" Rachel asked, feeling extremely proud of the girl she hadn't even spoken to in front of her.

"The teachers were on our side, they said that nothing could be done anyway because it was an attack influenced by discrimination. Beca was provoked so she flipped; the only lecture she got was from our Headmistress when she found out that Beca hadn't been caring for her knuckles properly."

"There aren't many people in the world like Beca. So unquestioningly protective." Rachel squeezed Stacie's hand.

"It goes both ways, we're getting defence classes when she's healed and I swear I will hurt anyone that makes her even breathe a little heavier from fear."

The burning in Stacie's eyes made it perfectly clear that she was not exaggerating.

A moaning sound came from beneath them as Beca started to shift around.

"Hold her down, she might jar her leg and she'll definitely feel that when she wakes up." Rachel said as she lightly placed her hands on Beca's shoulders. Stacie moved to her side and began to whisper comforting things into her ear, hoping to help her calm down.

"Is she having a nightmare?"

Stacie nodded. "I think so, is it safe to try and wake her up?"

"Gently, she might fall back into her mind if we shock her."

Rachel moved backwards as Stacie moved and sat on the bed next to Beca who was whimpering in her sleep.

"Can you wake up Mom? She'll want to be awake if anything happens."

Rachel nodded and quickly walked over to Cassie, she shook her shoulder once softly and then twice more roughly. Cassie opened her eyes slightly and focused on Rachel's face, she moved upwards slightly as she stretched out her fatigued limbs. "Everything okay?"

"Stacie is trying to wake up Beca; she thought that you'd want to be with us in case she does." Rachel whispered closely as she pulled the woman to her feet.

The two women then joined the girls on the other side of the room as Stacie was tentatively grasping Beca's shoulders and asking her to wake up, with her pleas gradually getting louder.

"Beca, can you hear me? You're dreaming come on, come back to us." Stacie mumbled.

Cassie moved to the other side of the bed and took up the space on the bed opposite Stacie; she leaned down and gently stroked Beca's cheek with one hand whilst grasping her hand with the other. Stacie started to talk again, but the only thing that seemed to reply to her was the machine next to her bed.

The silence seemed to seep into the room and take up all the space, down to the darkest corner, Stacie swore that she could feel it ooze into her skin and poison her mind. That, mixed with an unresponsive Beca, made her freeze up like her blood seemed to solidify in an instant. The sound of the ECG was the only thing her ears could detect, along with the patronizingly regular breathing patterns of the girl next to her. It provided no comfort as it proved that she was _right there._ Yet she wasn't. She was still just out of their reach, just beyond their means of helping, exactly like when she was in the position she was a few days ago.

Beca groaned in pain as she put more of her weight on to her side, obviously hitting one of her injuries, she shifted again and her eyelids began to flutter.

Stacie's face lit up in hope, gently squeezing her hand she began to mutter. "Beca you're safe, we're here and no one is going to hurt you. We need you to open your eyes."

She thought that Beca was trying to form words so she leaned down and moved her ear next to her mouth. She gasped as she made out the words.

" _Stacie… please doesn't let him hurt me."_

She moved backwards so quickly she almost fell off the bed; Rachel grabbed hold of her and made sure she was stable before letting go. Stacie moved forward again and took Beca's face into her hands. "He isn't here Beca, he can't hurt you again, and we got you away from him and into a hospital."

Beca began to open her eyes slowly as Stacie spoke; she pressed her head further into the pillow beneath her as the light began to assault her light-adverse eyeballs. She closed them briefly to dissuade the oncoming storm of natural light around her but soon after she opened them again and focused on the faces of Stacie, Cassie and Rachel.

"Hey…" She rasped, her voice broken after not being used.

Rachel poured a cup of water from the pitcher next to the bed; she moved forward and placed the half-filled cup next to her lips. Beca initially looked at her in fear but soon relaxed after Stacie gave her an encouraging nod, she then drained the cup in a few seconds flat, sighing gratefully at the relief.

"How you feeling kiddo?" Cassie asked softly.

Beca sighed again. "Alive… in pain, but alive."

Stacie stroked her cheek with her knuckles, an increasing habit that she was becoming aware of. "Can she be given anything for the pain?"

Rachel pressed a button that was located next to the IV drip. "This will give her doses of morphine to help with the pain, but we'll have to monitor it so she doesn't become dependent on it."

Beca looked at Stacie with tired eyes; she shifted slightly, showing her discomfort. "What happened?"

Cassie's eyebrows furrowed. "Do you not remember anything?"

"Last I remember was saying bye to Stacie and walking home." She trailed off quickly, a look of fear building in her eyes before masking it with indifference. Yet all three of the women noticed. "Where's my Dad?"

To anyone that wasn't aware of the situation, Beca would have simply sounded bored when she asked that question, but the reluctance and fear in her tone could not be misplaced. Stacie noticed out of the corner of her eye that Rachel had narrowed her eyes slightly, she was watching her patient with a confused expression and she looked as if she was drawing conclusions about something.

"Your father has been arrested Miss Mitchell." Rachel spoke in a soft tone, she moved cautiously towards Beca, watching like a hawk for any reaction from the girl.

Beca gasped slightly as she tried to move into a sitting position, Cassie and Stacie leapt forward to help her, stopping any form of pain to occur. She looked at the pitiful stares from the women before lowering her head in shame; she bit her lip as she fought back tears. "So you know, don't you."

They could tell from her defeated tone that it wasn't a question and there was obviously no point in lying. "Yes we know sweetheart…" Cassie whispered, she wiped away the droplets of water that fell from Beca's eyes quickly and kissed her cheek when she saw how scared Beca looked.

The beeping of the ECG bean to increase rapidly as Beca's eyes glazed over, she fought out of Cassie's hold desperately, scrambling to get out of bed. She clawed at the needle inside her arm and tried to rip it out before Stacie gripped her shoulders and forced her back down on to the bed. She then screamed and doubled her efforts to remove herself from Stacie's grip, as she thrashed around she didn't seem to feel any sort of pain coming from her broken leg.

Rachel ran forward and gently eased a needle into Beca's vein before pressing down on the plunger. A colourless liquid was inserted into her body, which calmed the girl down in roughly a minute. She sagged slightly and fell into Stacie's arms, closing her eyes she mumbled a sentence which sounded something like _'Mom, is that you?'_

"We need to wait until she's stronger before bringing up her father, she'll be having panic attacks for a while when she's reminded of him. I'll write up a referral for therapy and maybe some group sessions, she'll need to heal with more than just two people around. "Rachel spoke, seemingly to herself.

Stacie turned to her, slightly breathless from the fight that Beca put up. "That's why you were looking at her so funny?"

Rachel nodded, impressed that Stacie had noticed. "Yes, you could see the fear that she was trying to hide when she woke up. She's acting stronger than she truly is which might be a problem for whoever leads her mental recovery."

Stacie's eyes lit up as an idea struck her. "Will things more familiar than just me and Mom help?" When Rachel nodded but looked confused, she continued. "Well I might have an idea, Mom can I borrow your phone?"

Cassie handed it over without a word, not taking her shocked eyes off of Beca.

Stacie found a number in her Mom's recent contacts and hit dial, while they waited Rachel walked up to Cassie and began to massage her shoulders, easing out the knots in her back. Cassie fell into the touch with a grateful sigh.

"How did you know?"

Rachel scoffed. "I know tension when I see it; you looked as if you were going into shock."

Cassie sighed and rolled her neck to remove the kinks that had built up from stress and her uncomfortable sleeping positions. The two women both turned to look at Stacie as she began speaking into the phone.

"Atlanta Police Department, how may I direct your call?"

Stacie grinned as she finally got through. "Hello, can I be put through to a DI Williams?"

"One moment please."

Stacie waved away the concerned looks that her mother sent her as a man answered the phone.

"This is DI Williams?"

"Hello there, my name is Stacie Conrad I'm the other woman that found Beca Mitchell. You're leading the investigation right?"

The man on the other end of the line laughed. "I wouldn't call it an investigation but yes, you sound just like your mother. How can I help?"

"The crime scene has been cleared out for evidence hasn't it?" Stacie asked, pushing down the hope that was bubbling in her stomach.

"Technically I'm not meant to be discussing this with the general public but yes it has, why?" DI Williams' voice lowered slightly as he spoke, trying to avoid catching the attention of his colleagues.

"There was a box beneath Beca's bed; I need to know if that box was removed."

Typing could be heard on the other end of the line before he replied. "No we only took from the room what was covered in blood and potential DNA samples, you want the box don't you? Can I ask why?"

Stacie sighed in relief. "Can we get that box? I've been told that Beca will need something to latch on to, to help with her recovery and I think it'll help."

"I can get it to you, I'll bring it by tomorrow when I bring the adoption papers, let your mother know I'll be coming, will you?"

Stacie almost did a victory dance. "Thank you! Thank you! Yes I'll let her know."

She heard the man chuckle. "You're very welcome; have a good night Miss Conrad." He gave his goodbye before hanging up.

She passed the phone back to her mother before Rachel started asking questions. "What was that about?"

"There's some stuff that Beca keeps hidden because she was always treated like she was stupid by generally everyone. Now thanks to the good Detective, we can get it back and move it to our place."

Cassie's eyes lit up in recognition and she high-fived her daughter in glee. Rachel continued to look confused so Stacie explained.

"Beca's DJ equipment is being brought to us tomorrow." Stacie laughed before wrapping an arm around her mother's shoulder.

* * *

 _ **I thought I should end this here, I'm so sorry real life has been kicking my ass just lately but I'm still hoping to get out another chapter before I start college. I struggled to write this one for some reason but now Beca's woken up I can start with the recovery process. I promise they'll meet the Bella's soon-ish? Anyway as always please leave a review if you have a spare minute I love hearing from you guys, thank you for everyone that has followed/favorited the story.**_


	5. Chapter 4

**_TW - Mentions of abuse and drug abuse._**

* * *

Life appeared to be at a crossroads.

Light seemed to engulf her peripheral vision, it was awe-inspiring and _so loud_. It called to her with memories of her mother and her would-be family; there was also a feeling of contentment stemming from something unfamiliar. As much as she racked her brain there was nothing to place this feeling to, the white light seemed to invade her mind and reveal all her secrets and fears. It then left her body and curled in on itself in front of her.

 _How is this light sentient?_

The light seemed to carry something out of her body with it, something that was dark and foreboding; it shifted and twisted from inside the cocoon of white light as if it was reaching out for her. She knew in that moment that the light was here to protect her, she didn't want to know what would happen if the dark figure got a hold on her. A feeling of fear clawed its way into her stomach and made a home there. She prayed that this mysterious light would keep the embodiment of evil away from her.

She turned away from whatever was occurring in front of her and was greeted by _nothing._

There was an absence of colour, a blackness that seemed to call for her in ways that the light didn't. It was quiet, sinister, and _downright seductive._ Its tendrils seemed to glide through the air and touch her skin softly, then wrapped themselves around her wrist but offered nothing but comfort instead of a painful grip. She found herself wanting to give herself to this darkness, to lose herself in its embrace and to turn away from her troubles and forget her attachments to reality.

A buzzing started in her ears, she shook her head and swatted at the space around her to try and ward off the buzzing, it only grew louder and clearer as time passed. The buzzing manifested itself into the form of a voice, a voice that pleaded with her to stay strong, that things would get better; she just had to give it some time.

* * *

"She seems fine now, right?"

The three women looked down at the sleeping girl in her bed who wore a soft smile on her face, her outlook was peaceful and calm, as if she was having a good dream.

"I wonder what she's dreaming about."

Cassie looked over to her daughter, who wore a thoughtful expression on her face, her eyebrows furrowed when Stacie continued to speak. "It's been a long time since I've seen her smile like that."

Rachel hid a small smile. "Well with a little time, she will get better-"

"Can you promise me that?" Stacie interrupted.

Cassie glared at her, in no way was that a proper manner in which to speak to the doctor, her daughter gritted her teeth in frustration. "Sorry, I just don't see how this will get any easier? She has scars that'll remind her of that day every time she changes her outfit. Her mobility will be affected by not only her injuries but the trauma as well! Not only will she have even more trust issues now but she'll need to start at a school filled with people that are completely unfamiliar, if this whole thing isn't a cause for disaster then I don't know what is!"

Rachel moved forward and began to rub Stacie's arms comfortingly, urging the girl to calm down; her movements froze however, when they heard a voice from behind her.

"Damn Stacie, keep at it and people might think you actually care for me." The voice rasped.

Rachel spun around and grinned at the sight of a smiling Beca, she looked exhausted, but she was smiling nonetheless. The stiffness in Stacie's posture faded instantly and she practically jumped on to the bed in an effort to be closer to her friend.

Beca frowned when Stacie didn't leap into her arms like she normally would; she seemed to freeze as soon as she landed in the space next to her, she quickly looked down at the bed sheets and bit her lip. "Is it okay if I hug you?"

Beca smirked, trying to remove the tension from the situation. "Don't jostle me around too much and I think we'll be fine." When Stacie didn't reply, she hooked a finger under her chin and forcibly made her meet her eyes. "Stacie… I'm fine I promise a little beat up obviously, but around you I'm fine. You don't have to coddle me."

Stacie fought back tears as she looked at Beca trying to comfort her. _The girl that had been abused by her father, and left for dead, was laying on what could have been her deathbed comforting you, pull yourself together Conrad!_

Beca sighed. "Don't you dare blame yourself, either of you." She stated, letting her eyes wander to Cassie for a moment. "If I had wanted you to know then you would have, I was trying to protect you Stacie. If he had found out that I had told anyone, he would have come for you. I couldn't live with myself if something had happened to you; you're the only family I have left."

Cassie whimpered as she ran forward and joined the two girls in their hug, she buried her face into the crook of Beca's neck and took comfort in the familiar smell of the girl. Rachel turned away and quietly tried to slip out of the room; the door creaked as she opened it and winced when Beca called out in protest. "Don't go!"

The doctor turned around and smiled down at the family in front of her. "I was simply going to give you a few minutes to reacquaint yourselves, I'm sure that you have a lot to talk about."

Beca shook her head rapidly. "No, it's thanks to you that I'm still alive. You don't need to go anywhere, I just wanted to say thank you."

She let her hand reach out towards the woman but faltered as she saw the injuries and scars on her arm, Rachel rushed forward in an instant and took her hand. She squeezed it comfortingly as she used her free hand to make Beca look at her; the dark eyes of the teenager were hollow. She was putting on a strong façade for the sake of Stacie and Cassie, but Rachel didn't need a degree in Psychology to see that Beca was broken.

Beca was still shaking a few minutes later, she kept her gaze on anything that wasn't her own body, she was pumped with so much morphine that they were pretty sure that Beca wasn't even aware that her leg was broken.

 _How were they meant to tell her that she had a permanent reminder of her father's favourite nickname etched into her skin?_

* * *

Rachel felt a buzzing a few hours later on her hip, she took out her pager and saw a message flash up on screen.

 _Detective in reception._

She smiled to herself as she called out for Cassie; the woman turned around and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Williams is in reception, want me to come with you?"

Cassie stood up quickly, she threw on her jacket before turning and motioning for Stacie to stay put. The younger girl just scoffed, as if to say _'as if I was going to move anyway.'_ "You can if you want, be good you two I'll be back soon."

Beca looked at Stacie confusedly but didn't utter a word; she simply smiled as Cassie kissed their foreheads and walked out of the room, Rachel on her heels after a nod of goodbye. As soon as the door closed, Stacie took a seat on the bed parallel to Beca. The taller girl wrapped an arm around Beca's shoulder before gently puling her in close so Beca could rest her head on Stacie's chest.

"Are you gonna tell me how you're really feeling now?"

Beca didn't give a reply; she sank a little deeper into her embrace before opening her mouth, then closing it again. Stacie began to urge her softly. "Becs, it's okay, I won't say anything to anyone. Just like all our chats about my Dad…"

"I- I'm not okay Stacie. I'm terrified that I never will be."

Biting back a reply, Stacie let the silence serve as encouragement for her to continue. As soon as Beca started talking, she seemed to take on a blank expression, there was no emotion behind her words, which scared Stacie more than having her freak out and try to escape the room.

"I can't look down at my injuries without thinking that one day, he'll come back for me and finish the job, and every day he told me that I was nothing, a worthless piece of shit, and a wretch."

Stacie fought back the bile in her throat as she thought of the word 'wretch', they still hadn't found the right way to tell Beca that her injuries went further than the bruises, cuts and broken bones.

"I'll never tell Cass or the doctor this, but some of these marks I did myself-"

Beca cut herself off as she heard Stacie whimper, she didn't have the energy to get up so she settled for squeezing her arm and hard as she could, to remind the girl that she was still here.

"It was never enough to kill me; I guess I was too stubborn to give my Da-, John the satisfaction of pushing me to that point, it was just enough to make sure that it hurt. He got it into my head that I deserved every punishment that he dealt me, that it was my fault that my Mom got addicted to drugs and eventually overdosed. The only way I can describe it is that I started to build up a sort of immunity to his beatings, which is why they got worse as time went on. At the start it was just his words but then it turned physical, which is why I started to wear stuff that would cover the marks at school. Since I was blocking out the pain that he gave me, I felt like I deserved more because my Mom was the best person I've ever known, she shouldn't have died because of me!-"

Sobs tore through Beca's body and out of her mouth as she curled in on herself as best as she could, Stacie tightened her grip around her body and willed her to calm down through quiet whispers of comfort. "Let it out Becs, you're okay to cry, it's not your fault…"

Beca felt Stacie begin to trace the lines on her arms, now that it had been pointed out; the marks that were self-inflicted were easy to spot. They were thin, long and obviously deep. After being unconscious for almost a week and being pumped full of drugs, her injuries were beginning to heal.

"Rachel mentioned that this was gonna be difficult for you, but you're reacting better than she said you will. Are you sure there's nothing you're not telling me?" Stacie asked gently, trying to not upset Beca more.

"Give me time Stacie, there'll be days when I'm not this calm. Don't think that I will be able to play the strong one again-"

"Never." Stacie cut her off, Beca looked up with fear in her eyes, she was terrified of people expecting things from her. "I swear to you right here, right now, that on the good days: I will be the best sister to you I possibly can and keep you happy by doing everything you love. On the bad days?" She paused. "On the bad days, I will still be the best sister to you, I'll lay in bed with you all day, listen to you rant, hold you when you cry, make stupid jokes so you can hit me and sigh like you're done with my shit. Beca no matter what I will never leave you, in our family, no one gets left behind."

Stacie chuckled as Beca began to look uncomfortable. "Okay, too much emotion for one day, time to go back to sleep. You'll need your strength."

Beca shifted into a more comfortable position against Stacie. "Will you stay there? I feel like I'm not in the hospital when you're here with me."

Stacie could only nod as she yawned, she moved into a lying position and Beca gravitated to the crook of Stacie's neck. She sighed as she closed her eyes and settled in to sleep in the arms of her best friend, the older girl chuckled internally as she thought _'Maybe in another life time we could have been more than friends.'_

An hour and a half later, Rachel returned with Cassie, car keys in hand, to see the two girls still cuddled up on the bed and both completely unaware of anything going on around them. The two women smiled at each other before leaving the room again, making sure to close the door quietly behind them.

* * *

When Rachel had been called to reception with Cassie, Detective Williams had been leaning against a wall with a large black box in his hands; there was a folder on top of the box which contained a few sheets of paper. When he saw the two of them he grinned and carefully set the box on the floor, he wiped his hands on his jeans and held one out to Cassie for a shake, which she took before he repeated the action with Rachel. They had exchanged pleasantries before Williams, or 'James', had explained how he had managed to 'liberate' the box from the house. Cassie had thanked him profusely before excusing herself to move the box to her car, whilst she had been gone James enquired about Beca's condition. Rachel gave him as much information as she could, given that he was breaking the rules for Beca, why couldn't she return the favour? James had said that he would like to introduce himself to Beca at some point, for his own peace of mind she guessed. Cassie had returned not long later, and then James revealed the adoption papers among other things that had to be signed. Once she had signed the paperwork she had sighed contentedly as the sense of relief washed over her. He had smiled at them as he said his goodbyes not long later; Cassie had high-fived Rachel before returning to Beca's room to check on the two girls they had left behind.

"Come on, let's go grab a coffee." Cassie cleared her throat after pulling herself out of the memories and the door had finally closed.

Rachel nodded and began walking in the direction of the cafeteria; she waited for the other woman to fall into step with her before asking her question. "So Beca is a DJ?"

Cassie grinned. "Yeah but she's not professional or anything, given her age. It was something that I and her mother got her into when she was younger because she showed an interest in music. She's really good from what she showed me and Stacie, but I know she keeps a lot of it to herself. Sort of an outlet for what she feels, at the time we had no idea what she could be feeling so strongly about but now, she was using her mixes to deal with the ab- her home life." The grin slowly faded from her face as she continued to talk, the realization slipping into her mind.

Rachel sighed; she knew that this was going to be difficult. "This is in no way your fault, you know that right?"

Cassie looked like she wanted to argue for a moment before sagging slightly, Rachel had never seen a woman who looked so drained emotionally, physically and mentally. "A part of me knows that there was nothing I could have done, but imagine how much pain I could've saved Beca from if I had worked it out faster? I promised Christine that I'd take care of her little girl, I'll never tell Beca this but I think she knew that she was in trouble before the addiction became serious."

Rachel wrapped an arm around her shoulder, normally she wouldn't have attempted any form of physical comfort, but she felt as if that outside the walls of the hospital they could be friends.

"Listen, Beca made it clear that she didn't want you to know so from what I've seen I can guess that she made it difficult for you?" When Cassie nodded, she continued. "Well then, with everything that you're doing now, you are covering that promise you made."

The two women turned a corner on the ground floor and Rachel made sure that no one was in earshot before carrying on. "Addiction?"

Cassie lowered her eyes to the floor. "The reason that Beca was abused was because John believed that Christine's death was her fault, she got into doing heroin and cocaine after she met up with an old school friend, which happened to be the night she had a nasty argument with John. I remember her asking me to keep Beca safe no matter what when she was on a high once…"

* * *

 _Cassie looked at the clock next to her bed when there was a loud series of knocks at the door. It read '4.38 AM'_

 _Throwing the covers off of her, she moved to stand up whilst stretching out her arms. 'Who the hell could that be?' She thought._

 _She quickly put on her robe as the knocks began to get louder and more persistent, Cassie thanked the stars that Stacie was a heavy sleeper as she walked down the stairs tiredly. She grabbed the key from its place on the hook next to the door and quickly turned it in the lock. With the silence of the house alongside Cassie's nervousness, the click of the lock was very loud and made her heart jump into her throat a little. She swung the door open and came face to face with a rough looking Christine._

 _Her clothes and hair were rumpled, she had traces of a white substance on her face that you knew instantly was cocaine. Of course she was here; she couldn't go home to let Beca see her like this. She was leaning against the frame of the door, trying to focus her sight on her best friend but she couldn't. She looked as if she had no idea where she was, her instincts had simply told her to keep walking and this is where she had ended up. Cassie sighed; feeling incredibly and rightfully frustrated, and grabbed her friend by her collar and hauled her inside. Christine offered no resistance and she wasn't even sure that the other woman could._

 _As soon as the door had been closed, Cassie was locking the door and she felt Christine grab her in a hug from behind. Cassie gulped as she knew where this was going; she felt soft kisses being placed on her neck as she put the key back in its rightful place. Turning around, she forced Christine's hands away from her body and pushed her towards the living room._

 _Christine fell on to the couch and didn't move a muscle, she simply watched as Cassie moved to the cupboard near the television and grabbed the blanket and pillow that was kept there before moving back to the couch and tucking her in. Cassie didn't say a word as there was no way that she would remember any of this when the morning came, she would be too busy dealing with her come down._

 _She moved backwards as she thought Christine had fallen asleep, before she could go back to bed however she had grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the couch. Cassie said nothing, she just raised an eyebrow at her action, that being enough to warrant an explanation._

" _I need you to promise me something." Christine whispered, her eyes were heavy and she could feel the need to sleep engulfing her._

 _Cassie sat in the small space on the edge of the couch, still gripping her hand tightly. "What is it?"_

 _She tried to move upwards to make it clearer that she was being deadly serious in this moment, but Cassie's soft hand on her shoulder restricted her movements, so she settled back down in her makeshift bed as she spoke. "If something happens to me, if I get worse, then I need you to swear to me that you will take care of Beca. John will not be able to do it."_

 _Cassie reeled back, she was shocked. Christine was 1. Half conscious, and 2. Off of her face on cocaine. She should not have been this aware of her actions, but the clear and determined look in her eyes made her believe that this was important. In the back of Cassie's mind, there was a traitorous thought lingering that kept whispering about Christine keeping secrets but it was forced back as the situation at hand had to be dealt with._

" _I promise Chrissie." Christine's eyes lit up at the use of the nickname. "I will always care for Beca; if she needs me then she always has a home here. I'll keep her safe."_

 _With the promise, Christine seemed to relax, the tension left her muscles and she fell into a deep sleep almost immediately. When her breathing evened out, Cassie removed her hand from the grip it had found itself in. She found herself moving on autopilot back to her bedroom, she removed her robe and got back into bed. Pulling the blankets back over her body, she turned on to her side and tried desperately to not think about the woman downstairs and what she had meant by her promise._

 _This hadn't been the first time that she had turned up on her doorstep completely unaware of her surroundings, but it was the first time she had freaked Cassie out like that. Normally, Christine would walk in and fall asleep not long after, there was never any moments like what had just occurred a few minutes ago._

 _ **She isn't telling me something, she wouldn't have asked me to keep Beca safe unless she thought something was going to happen to her?**_ _Cassie thought to herself and she turned on to her back._

 _She didn't get any sleep that night._

: :

"If only I'd realized that the situation was serious, by the time I put the pieces together, Christine was dead and Beca was on her way to joining her. John has been doing this for a while, I have a feeling that it was happening when she was still alive. Which is why John's abuse to Beca got worse, I mean in the months leading to her death, Beca became more closed off. At first I just thought it was worry for her Mom, but now I'm thinking about it…"

Rachel offered no words; she simply squeezed her shoulder in comfort. She thought back over what had just been divulged to her, her eyebrows furrowed. "Why did she come on to you when you took her in that night? Lingering feelings?"

Cassie laughed; a sound that Rachel wanted to hear again, she was too good for all of this worry. All from one man, he had torn apart more than just his daughter's life it seemed. "One of the reasons we became such close friends in college is that were both 'curious' about certain things, so we sort of used each other for experimentation. We still did the dating thing with people after we called off our little test, but whenever things got too stressful we used to fall to each other. There was a nasty point where I started believing that no one would ever want me or care for me and she was the one to convince me otherwise. I was so lonely that I told her that I would always be able to love her better than anyone else could, and that my door was always open, so that night she probably remembered that promise."

"You must have had a very strong bond to be able to do that?" Rachel offered.

Cassie nodded. "She is m- was my best friend, I haven't been the same since she died. I'm just sorry that so many people only think of her as the drug addict, instead of the kindest, bravest woman I've ever had the privilege of knowing."

She had never allowed herself to cry over the death of Christine, she buried her grief in order to help those around her. In ways like that, Cassie and Beca were very similar; to an outsider most people would automatically think Beca was part of the family. However in that moment, she couldn't help but shed a few tears at the loss of her _family_. Rachel grabbed a few napkins from the stand in the cafeteria and shoved them in her hands; she then pushed Cassie into a seat and ran off to get the coffee and something to eat for the two of them, and maybe a little something for Beca.

Cassie felt a rush of gratitude to the doctor as she ran off, it was clear that she was giving her a few minutes to compose herself. She wiped her eyes furiously and reminded herself to be strong. _No one needs to see your pain Cassie, bottle it up and deal with it in private._

She took a deep breath and chuckled quietly. _Maybe she and Beca are more similar than everyone thought._

A few minutes later, Rachel had a bag hung from her arm and a holder filled with four cups in her hand. In her other hand, she held a clipboard, which told Cassie that she would be leaving them again soon. Cassie stood up quickly, threw the now damp napkins into the bin and reached out to help her with the drinks. The two women began their walk back to Beca's room in mostly companionable silence; they walked fairly quickly to make sure that the drinks didn't get cold. Rachel knew that the woman beside her was still deep in thought, so she made no effort to break the comfortable position they had found themselves in.

* * *

Pushing open the door, Stacie could be seen stretching by interlocking her fingers and pushing her arms backwards. Cassie glared at her daughter as she heard her spine crack a few times, Beca laughed from her position on the bed.

Cassie whirled around to the girl. "Don't you snigger young lady, it's your fault she does that!"

Beca gave an over-the-top grin in return; she raised an eyebrow at the bag and drinks holder that Rachel was holding when she walked in. The woman nodded to placate Beca's nervousness before putting everything down on the table next to Beca's bed. She took the three brown cups out of the holder and passed one to Cassie and Stacie then kept one for herself, the two women said their thank you's before taking the closest seats to them. Rachel then grabbed the one white cup and passed it to Beca.

"Why is mine white?" She asked, looking at the cup nervously.

"I can't give you large amounts of caffeine because it will mess with your medication, so I couldn't get you coffee like we have. So I got you hot chocolate instead because the caffeine level is low and the sugar level won't do too much to you. I couldn't get you decaf either because apparently we don't have any in the cafeteria." Rachel answered, digging through the bag she had also brought.

"Thanks…" Beca mumbled as Cassie and Stacie smiled at each other; Beca was never any good at showing gratitude since she hated asking for help.

Stacie casually walked up to her mother and began to whisper in hushed tones. "Are you alright? I know you've been crying, don't deny it."

Cassie sighed at her daughter's perceptiveness. "I'm fine, don't worry. I just talked a little but about Chrissie."

Stacie's expression hardened instantly. The subject of Beca's mother was sort of taboo around them, the subject was too painful to talk about with each other. She nodded once and moved back to Beca's side; Stacie was still recovering in a way because Beca and Chrissie were the only other things besides her mother that could be classed as family. So she had taken Chrissie's death very hard, plus she had also dealt with everyone else's reactions as well.

Stacie took up her earlier position on Beca's bed and cuddled up to Beca this time, the girl raised an eyebrow but didn't question it as she ran her fingers calmly through Stacie's hair. The two of them had always had a friendship where they were so attuned to each other that they didn't need words to convey what they wanted or were feeling.

Rachel left a selection of snacks beside them before grabbing another pile and her coffee and then taking a seat next to Cassie. The two began to eat quietly, keeping their eyes on the two girls on the bed. Rachel turned her head slightly and began to speak.

"Remember how you said that you and Christine had a special friendship?"

The woman simply nodded.

"Is it a friendship like theirs?"

Cassie pursed her lips in thought as she looked at the two of them; they seemed to gravitate towards each other naturally. Her heart clenched as she considered the doctor's words, she raised her eyes to the ceiling for a moment.

 _You'd be so proud of them Chrissie, they're just like us. Well, without the 'experimenting' part, I wish you were here I miss you so much. I'll come by your grave in a few days, I promise. I swear I'll keep Beca safe; I won't let anyone hurt her any more. But you knew that John was twisted didn't you? You thought I was strong enough to carry your burdens, I love you and everything kid, but you made one hell of a mistake in leaving Beca. That girl needs her Mom, and as much as we can do for her, she will never recover from this. I'm not blaming you, but maybe Beca would've had someone to understand what she was going through._

Cassie closed her eyes as she continued to think, childishly praying that Christine could hear her.

 _I need you too, my best friend. I can't keep sitting here and praying that you can hear me rambling, the kids need me. I love you Christine, please don't ever think I didn't._

She opened her eyes once more to see Rachel staring at her with a concerned look on her features, she felt the doctor take her hand and squeeze it comfortingly. _Maybe I won't have to deal with all this by myself._

Stacie and Beca didn't notice the small interaction going on across the room; they were too busy offering silent comfort to each other. Every woman in the room was thinking about the same woman.

Beca was thinking about the mother she had, Stacie was thinking about the woman who taught her that it was okay to be who you are when she didn't have the nerve to 'come out' to Beca and her Mom, Rachel was thinking about a mystery woman who's life had ended way too soon, and Cassie was thinking about the woman who had been her everything at different points in her life.

She took comfort in the comparison between her and Chrissie, and Beca and Stacie. If that was the case, then at least Beca would have the best friend that anyone could ask for.

* * *

 _ **I'M TWO WEEKS LATE I'M SORRY.**_

 _ **College has started, I'm totally reliant on caffeine at the minute, and I've just fallen ill. It's been a shit two weeks to be honest. I tried to make this a little longer to make up for my absence and I've decided to bring two characters into the next chapter, it may be brief since I haven't decided what I'm doing with them yet but I promise I'm bringing them in. I think most of you will be happy when they do make an appearance. I wanted to give some back story to Christine, because she is going to be featured in the story quite a few times through flashbacks.**_

 _ **Again I'm so so sorry about the wait, I'm trying guys. I'm starting chapter 5 now and I have a basic plot line for it so I'm hoping that it won't take me long to get to you. Come visit me on Tumblr, I want to talk to all of you :D .com, come ask me some questions? Thank you for the continued support, it means so much. One last thing, if anyone here has been watching Carmilla come and discuss with me please? I need to vent to someone about all this.**_


	6. Chapter 5

_**Okay, I'm saying this once: This fic will not be Steca. They are strictly best friends in this fic, I'm trying to give them a very special friendship as not only are they best friends, but family as well. Also it's pretty common that when you're dealing with trauma, you form a stronger attachment to those closest to you.**_

 _ **Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, if you wait**_ _ **VERY**_ _ **patiently there might be something of a one-shot variety concerning Steca appearing at some point ;) ;) ;) (I have so much to do though so t's pretty far down on my list of writing atm)**_

 _ **Also, Cassie and Rachel are not going to be a thing, I did consider it and was heavily tempted but I didn't want the idea of Beca, Stacie and Chloe eventually becoming family. I know it wouldn't be a blood-relation thing, but still, I don't want to do it. Sorry guys.**_

 _ **Anyway, as promised, new characters introduced this chapter. They're not in it much, I'm warning you now, but they do appear. First part is a little angst heavy, my apologies to those that I promised a completely fluffy chapter. After that the fluff takes over though.**_

: :

"Can I get out of this room?"

Beca was getting restless, she wasn't sleeping for long periods of time anymore so she was rapidly running out of things to do, and Stacie, Cassie and Rachel kept her company as much as they could but she was bored. She tried to not complain obviously, but she noticed the eyebrow raising and smug smirks that Stacie sent her way every time she pouted. Stacie was perfectly aware of Beca's frustrations, but she couldn't help but love to watch the girl squirm, they were definitely borderline siblings.

Rachel pursed her lips. "Well you clearly aren't walking anywhere any time soon Beca…"

Stacie bit back her laugh by covering it up with a cough, Beca just glared at her knees before glancing up with wide eyes and a protruding bottom lip.

Stacie's eyes widened. _Oh no._ Beca could take down armies with her 'kicked puppy look' as she called it, it had been known to get her whatever she wanted. Stacie turned and grinned knowingly at Cassie, she nodded her head over towards the doctor, it was entertaining to see her resolve crumbling.

Saving her from any further embarrassment, Stacie nudged the woman. "Come on doc, let's get Becs a wheelchair and I'll take her around the hospital, maybe on to the balcony so she can actually get some sun?"

Rachel huffed. "If you keep her off that leg? Fine." She then turned to Beca. "If you damage that leg in any way, no more trips outside, got it? You'll be in that cast for another 5 weeks before we can even think about physio."

Beca nodded furiously. "Anything to get out of here for a bit!"

Rachel walked to the door and stuck her head outside for a moment, she flagged down a nearby nurse and requested that he get her a wheelchair for the patient, he nodded before walking quickly down the corridor. Rachel swung her upper body back inside the room but left the door ajar, obviously for the nurse. She glared playfully at Beca before checking her chart for something to do; Cassie just stared at Beca and arched an eyebrow when their eyes met. Beca just grinned before playing her fingers in her lap.

The woman shook her head before announcing that she was just going to quickly go home for a change of clothes and a shower before coming back, she mouthed 'drop the box off' to Stacie, who nodded and took a drink from her recently-acquired Pepsi. Cassie said her goodbyes before walking out of the room, in the background Rachel was moving around the room checking Beca's vital signs and the dosages of her medication.

It was the third time she had done that in an hour.

Beca sighed.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Rachel paused mid-step; she turned to Beca looking guilty. "Sorry, I don't mean to hover."

"No, no it's not that." Beca rushed to remedy the situation, not wanting _anyone_ to be angry with her. "You're just acting edgy, like something's bothering you."

Rachel sat down at the end of Beca's bed. _Why were these people so intuitive?_

"Yes, there is something, but I didn't want to bring it up." She admitted.

Beca raised an eyebrow, looking suspiciously like Cassie. "That inspires me with a lot of faith..." She drawled.

Rachel chuckled softly; she began to speak in hushed tones. She was perfectly aware of Stacie standing nearby and paying attention to the conversation, she was simply approaching the subject with care. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay…"

Beca scoffed slightly, with no form of malice or irritation. "You can hear my heartbeat can't you?"

Rachel just stared into Beca's eyes. "You know that isn't what I meant"

Her jaw twitched. "What do you mean then?"

It was clear that Beca wasn't going to open up without some explanation.

"I'm a complete stranger, and I know you and Stacie have been talking about what happened to you, but when you woke up you've not reacted negatively to me in any way. I'm perplexed Beca, how are you acting like nothing's happened?"

This time, Beca did scoff for real. Finally showing her sarcastic personality. "You think I'm strong? That I'm just taking all this on the chin? You forget that you don't have me under constant watch Dr. Stevens, yes there has been times where I've cried and screamed. Had panic attacks, thought that J-John was coming for me. I got so used to playing the disaffected that I hate showing weakness, the only person that sees it is Stacie. I asked you if I could leave this room because I need to know what's outside, I need to know that I'm safe here, a few kind words from some doctors is not going to cut it. You know what doesn't help? The drugs knock me out enough to keep the nightmares away, but without them, I constantly dream of my Mom. I could hear her talking to me the other night, promising me that I was going to be okay, I just needed to be strong for a little longer."

Rachel was half inclined to ask how Beca knew her last name, before she remembered that it was on her name tag. She tried to speak, but Beca cut her off. Once her rant had started, so had the water works, Stacie hadn't moved a muscle, she'd never heard the girl raise her voice like this.

"I'M SICK OF BEING STRONG. I did everything I could to take care of Mom, show her how much I loved her, and it still wasn't enough. She still killed herself. Why wasn't I enough? Huh? You gonna tell me that this isn't my entire fault, that a few months of therapy will make all this better? Every time that door opens I think it's him, the man that raised me, and broke me, coming back to finish the job. Every time I see any of you stop smiling, I think you're going to hurt me. I know Cassie blames me for Mom's death, how can she not, everyone does! Everyone leaves in the end!-"

Rachel leaped forward and took the girl into her arms, it could have been the worst thing to do but Beca's hands instantly moved upwards and clawed at her coat. The two of them cried together, the younger of the two had curled in on herself as she wept.

Stacie's stomach dropped as she saw Beca's hands move to her hips protectively, _her left hip._

 _Fuck, she knows!_ Stacie screamed in her mind.

Rachel did nothing but cling tighter, she tried to hold her together with just her arms as she whispered.

"I can't promise that this will get better, ever."

It pained her to say it, but she could feel how thankful Beca was that she was being honest with her.

"All I can promise is that the pain will fade, it won't leave, and the consequences will remain with you. But you can make memories on top of this, you don't have to let this define you Beca. Wear your scars as a sign that _you survived._ You are strong. You might not believe me now, but many people would have given up by now. You're still fighting this, keeping up a defence for the sake of those that care about you. And I can tell you now, your Mother's death? Was never, ever your fault."

For a moment, she believed that she was getting through to Beca, but the other girl whimpered as she began to mumble to herself.

Rachel wiped her tears away quickly before leaning down to hear what she was saying.

' _I'm a wretch. Nothing but a filthy, worthless wretch.'_

"No. You are a beautiful, talented young lady. You are going to get through this, I promise." Rachel mumbled into her ear, sighing in relief when she felt Beca relax slightly.

The teenager shifted slightly as Rachel moved out of her immediate space, her eyes closed and she quickly fell asleep with exhaustion.

As Rachel stood up, she stumbled slightly but muttered a small 'thank you' to Stacie when she caught her. Stacie squeezed the patient's hand before whispering to her. "Get some rest DJ, we'll come back soon and then take you on that trip."

She took off a bracelet that had hung on her right wrist and then placed it on Beca's left wrist, right where the worst self-harm scar was. Without turning around, she said "What do you think she meant?"

"Hm?" She heard Rachel hum in question.

"Beca, saying that she sees her Mom in her dreams"

"Probably a coping mechanism, with the calming effect the drugs have, the nightmares have no effect on her. So she sees her ultimate comfort as a way of dealing with the emotion. Her brain channels it into something happy because if not, it would just sit there on her mind."

"I need to call my Mom, let her know what's happened, and go for a walk I think. I need to clear my head."

Rachel nodded. "Go to reception and ask them to page me if you need me, I need to check on my other patients."

Neither women acknowledged the tension that had taken over; they simply turned around and walked out the door, not saying anything to each other as they headed in different directions.

: :

Stacie returned about an hour later, feeling relatively calm after the earlier drama; she turned a corner towards Beca's room and saw a wheelchair outside the door. She grinned to herself as she took hold of it and rolled it into the room. When she entered, Beca was sat upright, her arms were crossed and she wore an annoyed scowl on her features.

Stacie frowned. "Becs… everything okay?"

She gave no indication that she had heard the question. After a minute she grumbled slightly. "This fucking cast, my leg is itching so badly and I can't fucking get to the itch!"

Stacie couldn't help but laugh, Beca pouted which only made her laugh harder and the girl visibly perked up when she acknowledged the wheelchair though.

" _Finally!"_ She cried, before catching herself and scowling again.

Stacie smirked. "Yeah yeah, come on; let's get you up and about before I change my mind."

With some difficulty, Stacie hauled Beca out of her bed and into the chair, she propped her leg up before attaching the IV drip to a slot on the chair so no needles had to be removed. She then wheeled the chair and its occupant out of the room, chuckling to herself softly when she heard Beca's sigh of relief.

: :

"I don't think I've ever appreciated a car park so much in my life…"

The two girls were stood by a window on the third floor of the hospital, the car park and a line of trees could be seen easily. It was reasonably early so the sun wasn't yet overhead, but there were a spread of clouds and birds tweeting.

Beca was staring around in wonder, she looked like an innocent child that had gone to Disneyworld for the very first time, and Stacie was mocking her as much as she could.

"Are you okay now Becs?"

Her demeanour dropped almost instantly, however it wasn't from sadness, it was more, _annoyance._

"Yeah" Beca answered tiredly. "I think I just needed to get it out there."

She carried on before Stacie could reply, adjusting her position with hurting the leg that was currently propped up in front of her as they moved. "I'm scared Stacie, I'm not thick, I know what's typical for people that go through this shit. I haven't reacted like that except for a couple of breakdowns, and now I'm terrified that one day something is going to set me off and I'll go off the rails."

Stacie sighed. "Becs… you can't come out on top and unaffected by anything forever, you know? There'll be times when life gets shit, unfortunately for you; one of those times is probably one of the worst things a person can encounter. I can't promise you that you're not going to have the same reaction that other people in the past have done, everyone is different. I'm not going to tell you to be strong either, you've been doing that already and what I think you need to hear is that you don't need to do that anymore."

She paused as she took in a deep breath. "You don't have to only rely on yourself Becs, I'm your sister in everything but blood, and I will help you carry the baggage."

Beca curled in on herself slightly. "I don't want to burden you Stace, none of this is your responsibility, you shouldn't have even found out about this-"

Stacie pulled the wheelchair to an abrupt halt; she practically dived over the chair so she could kneel in front of Beca. She gripped the arm rests and moved into Beca's personal space. "You listen to me Beca." She made herself refrain from saying her full name; the name 'Mitchell' had a sort of taboo on it now.

"If we hadn't have worked it out, we'd be planning your funeral, not you adoption right now. Don't you fucking dare try and say you wish we had never found out, you have no idea how much you mean to us" She cut herself off and took a deep breath to lower her heart rate. " _And I will not lose you to the hands of a man like that._ "

Beca leaned back in her chair as she watched Stacie's eyes blaze, there was no way that anyone could try and say that she was lying. "Stace…"

"No." Stacie was taking nothing from the girl in front of her. "I know you Becs, you'll try and say that I'm wrong but deep down we both know that you wished we had left you there. I'm not letting you think that you don't deserve your life; we love you way too much to let that happen. Mom might not know exactly what's been going on, but she isn't stupid, she knows you well enough to understand that there's something we're not telling her. I also know that if I do tell her, she'll probably have kittens over this-"

She paused mid-sentence when she heard Beca giggle, _she giggled._ Soon enough she found herself laughing too, her choice of words couldn't have been worse for the moment as it had the girls in hysterics.

For a moment they were just two teenaged best friends, laughing carelessly at stupid things, they weren't in a hospital, Beca didn't have an abusive father currently in custody, there were no injuries covering Beca's body, and the signs of exhaustion that laced Stacie's features didn't exist.

Taking a deep breath to calm down, Stacie got to her feet slowly, still recovering from the lack of oxygen. Resting her hands on her thighs, she stayed in a crouched position while she grinned at Beca. It was easy to put off the inevitable.

"Come on, we need to get you back to the room before Rachel and Mom send out a search party." Stacie mumbled, she chuckled when Beca groaned dramatically.

"Mind if we detour to the toilet first?"

Stacie hummed in affirmation as she turned them around and moved away from the window, they travelled slowly down the corridor since Beca was in no rush to get back to her room. They turned a corner and politely smiled at the doctor who was walking past the toilets at that given moment before coming to a stop outside the door that had a blue sign on it saying 'Disabled Toilet.'

Stacie went to wheel Beca inside but a hand on her arm stopped her.

"Let me go in myself, if I'm going to be living like this for a while I need to get used to doing this stuff myself." Beca explained, her eyes pleading with Stacie to allow this.

She simply stood up and nodded, having no problem with the idea. "I'm just going to run back to the ending machine near the shop and grab some soda, want anything?"

Beca shook her head as she began to wheel herself inside, she snorted when she heard Stacie shout after her. "Don't you dare leave without me"

Stacie then turned around and walked back down the corridor at a quicker pace than before, it took less than a minute to walk to the nearby vending machine. Taking some change out of her pockets, she pressed the relevant button for her favourite kind after placing the money in the machine. She smiled to herself as she thought about the potential of a new school, a new set of friends too. She wasn't really paying attention as she dropped down to her knees to pick up her drink after the tell-tale 'thunk' had sounded.

She moved backwards and twisted around but not before colliding with a woman who had just walked out of the shop. The bag dropped and Stacie was instantly picking up the escaped food and muttering embarrassed apologies, she looked up at the other woman and felt a blush rising to her cheeks.

She was tall, blonde hair which was perfectly straight and she had a face that needed no makeup for people to know that she was beautiful. She had a small smile on her face as she took in Stacie's embarrassed body language, she chuckled softly before speaking.

"Don't worry, no harm done. Are you okay?"

 _Jesus Christ, she even sounds amazing._ Stacie thought to herself, it took a moment to realize that she hadn't replied. She grinned, trying to make up for her amateur reaction earlier.

"Yeah I'm fine, not every day I have a girl falling for me on the first meeting."

The mystery girl raised an eyebrow. "Well aren't you the charmer? Going to tell me your name?"

Stacie kept grinning, she knew she was probably making a fool of herself but something about this girl just made her want to smile. "It's Stacie, what about you?"

A look of recognition flitted through the blonde's eyes before fading just as quickly. "Aubrey. My name is Aubrey Posen."

: :

Beca huffed as she struggled to roll herself out of the toilet.

 _They're meant to be for disabled people? So why the hell are they so hard to get in and out of?_

She sat still for a moment, feeling like an absolute moron in the hallway with no one to keep her company, until she heard the laughter of a very familiar person.

She turned her head around to see Stacie approaching her with a blonde woman walking at her side, she raised an eyebrow in Stacie's direction when she caught the twinkle in the brunette's eye, but there was no given indication that she had seen the unspoken question.

"So this is Beca, I presume?"

The girl in question looked down at her lap and said nothing, something about this girl made her nervous. She had a very business-like look about her, her posture was perfect but her expression was soft. She knelt down in front of Beca and matched her gaze.

"I'm Aubrey; please don't feel like you have to be nervous around me? Stacie mentioned that you had had a rough time of it lately, she didn't say why but I hope that you get better soon Beca."

The DJ looked shocked at this woman. _Was everyone here this understanding?_

Stacie bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows as she watched the interaction take place, she half expected Beca to freak out but the girl looked touched at Aubrey's concern.

: :

The conversation continued for a few more moments before Aubrey excused herself as she had to go and find her friends, her and Stacie had looked at each other for a long time before she left. The two girls had parted with a 'I hope I see you around."

Stacie had ignored all of Beca's attempts at conversation until they had arrived back at Beca's assigned room; they went inside to see that Cassie and Rachel were waiting for them. They all helped Beca back into bed and she thanked Stacie for taking her outside for a little while that day.

"Why do you look so happy?" Cassie asked.

She picked up on Beca stifling her laugh before encouraging the girl to explain. Ignoring Stacie's threatening look, Beca answered the question. "Stacie's smitten with a girl!"

Stacie looked to the floor and blushed. "I am not! I only met her today! You seemed to be warming up to her just fine."

Beca winked cheekily. "When she first came over she reminded me of my Dad, all business and posture. But then she tried to make me feel like an equal, like I wasn't beneath her. It just took me by surprise, that's all."

Rachel was writing something down in a notepad. "What did she look like, did you catch a name?"

"Aubrey Posen." Stacie said the name like it was a gift from God himself, much to Beca and Cassie's amusement.

"I know the name, she's a nice girl." Rachel replied, holding back her smirk.

"Hopefully I'll see her around…" Stacie said, mainly to herself.

"I think I hear wedding bells." Beca drawled, earning a light slap to her non-injured shoulder.

: :

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Chill Aca-Nazi, I was talking to Denise on reception."

"You and that girl are going to be the death of me Cynthia-Rose."

They were walking out of the doors of the hospital, in the direction of the bus stop. Aubrey scratched her arm absentmindedly as CR gave her a calculated look from her side.

"What's up Cap? Normally you're complaining about something by this point."

"Something happened earlier…" Aubrey replied briskly.

"Gonna elaborate?"

"I met Stacie and Beca."

CR came to an abrupt halt; she stared at her captain with a slacked jaw for a few seconds before recovering and laughed.

"Oh man!"

Aubrey pursed her lips. "Yup, they're okay people. Beca is dealing with the situation like Rachel said; it just caught me by complete surprise. The whole thing was a total accident."

She then began to explain the events that had occurred earlier in that day, leaving out no detail that wasn't important, CR looked like a child on Christmas morning by the end of it.

She whipped her phone out and swiftly began to type. "Oh man, wait until Red hears that you met the infamous 'Beca and Stacie' before she did."

Aubrey groaned.

: :

 _ **There we go. A little fluffier than normal, I was so so tempted to take the angst further but no I'll save that for later on. I was also told that my links disappeared from the last chapter so if you want to come have a chat with me, my Tumblr username is the same as my name on here: eidraith.**_

 _ **As always, leave a review, follow/favourite and all that stuff and I will talk to you all next time.**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT. I NEED YOU GUYS TO READ IT SO I DON'T GET THE SAME QUESTIONS.**_

 _ **You'll find out how CR, Aubrey and Chloe know about Beca and Stacie in time, I know a couple of people have already worked it out but for those that haven't, you're going to have to be patient. I was expecting people to ask me why Aubrey seems so friendly and not all uptight like she is in the movies, trust me there is a backstory for that. Also I got a review saying that there was hope for a bigger reaction about the scar on Beca's hip, she's numb about it. She hasn't actually looked at it yet; she felt around the marks and worked out that it formed a word. This will be explained in this chapter. I'll give you the reaction you want soon I promise :D, after Beca gets out of the hospital I'll write a chapter's worth of mini sneak peaks which will give you all the stuff about recovery, therapy, physio, moving in with Cass and Stace etc. It's picking up I swear, I'll get them to Barden High soon.**_

 _ **Also, I know that Rachel is disregarding the rules way too much with how involved she is with this story. She is a woman who is able to keep her emotions at bay but when a situation like this arises she can't help but feel as if she has to help in any way she can. She will play a role beyond the whole 'professional carer' and feature in the rest of the story; she has a sort of kindred spirit relationship with Cassie and has formed a friendship with them all. I'm building their friendship for a very special reason too, which you will find out more about later on (no she will not be dating Cassie)**_

* * *

"Where's Cass gone?" Beca asked tiredly.

Stacie didn't look up from her phone. "Not sure, she said she'd be back soon so I'm not worried."

Beca yawned again, Rachel laughed from the other side of the room. "Medication kicking in?"

She nodded and settled down further beneath her blankets. "Yup… I don't wanna sleep though"

Stacie began to stroke her hair absentmindedly to get her to relax, her other hand still gripped on her phone where she was texting someone. "How much longer am I going to be here?" She heard Beca say.

"Apart from your leg you've basically healed, the cuts and bruises are healing so really we have no reason to keep you here for much longer, you'll just have to stay off that leg for three more weeks until we can get your cast off then get you into physio." Rachel replied.

"Okay." Beca answered, she sounded as if she was going to reply but she fell asleep before she could continue talking.

Rachel crept over and checked Beca's steady breathing to make sure that she was in a deep sleep before turning to Stacie. "So what was yesterday about?"

Stacie knew that she was referring to Beca's breakdown the day before, Rachel had noticed her reaction to Beca but she hadn't been able to work out what the visible reaction was for.

"She knows about the scar."

The doctor actually took a step back in shock. "How do you know?"

"When you were hugging her, she kind of curled in on herself but put her hands where the scar is, as if she was protecting it. It's just instinct; I know that she knows it's there." Stacie replied, looking down at Beca's peaceful form.

"She hasn't reacted to it at all, I don't understand, I thought that this would be the worst part of the trauma to deal with?"

"I don't know, we just need to keep a closer eye on her, I'll make her allow me to stay in the bathroom with her when she has her first shower. She might not even know what it looks like, she always used to do this, and she'd know that a problem was there but if she didn't openly acknowledge it then she could pretend that it wasn't there. I have a feeling that this is what she's done, she'll have a really bad down period when this catches up with her." Stacie spoke quietly.

"Where actually is Cassie?" Rachel changed the subject.

"She's getting Beca's room ready for when she's released, been setting up the bed and stuff, we didn't want her worrying about anything if we both disappeared and I wouldn't be much use on my own so it's easier to just stay here and let Mom handle it." Stacie explained.

"Is it almost done? How does it look?" The doctor asked, sharing a small smile with the teenager.

"We're keeping it pretty basic for the moment, so we can let her decorate it how she wants. There's a queen sized bed, a 9 square shelf storage unit, the walls are a light purple at the minute, when I left for a few hours yesterday I went home and hooked up sets of fairy lights on her ceiling and back wall. She's always been afraid of the dark, but I get the feeling now that it will be a little worse." Stacie grinned, happy with the progress they had made.

Meanwhile, Cassie stood, wiping the sweat from her forehead, in the now furnished spare room of their house and grinned. Beca's room was finally finished.

* * *

A few days later, Cassie was sat by Beca's bedside and the two were talking quietly.

"What's wrong Cass? You've been shifty all day." Beca sighed.

She gazed into the blue eyes that they all seemed to share, Cassie had passed her eyes on to Stacie, and Beca seemed to get her eyes from her mother. It was a trait that could mark them out as family even though they weren't biologically, plus the brown hair that they all shared too.

"I just…" She trailed off for a moment. "I want to make sure you definitely want to come home with us, you've always pushed people away when they're trying to help so I'm worried that you're coming with us because you feel like you don't have a choice."

Beca took a minute to think over her reply. "I hate having to ask others for help, but I know that I won't be able to deal with this alone. If I leave you guys I'll end up in the care of the system. It's pretty obvious that I want nothing to do with that, besides; you guys and my Mom were the only family I've ever had. Of course I want to come home with you."

Cassie sighed in relief; she stroked Beca's cheek with her knuckles whilst speaking in soft tones. "Thank you Beca, it's wonderful to hear that."

"I'm getting a job as soon as I can though, there's no way I'm letting you pay for all of my care until I leave to go and do whatever." Beca said stiffly, she was adamant that she would pay Cassie back for everything that she was doing for her.

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "We can fight about this another time; we need to get you healthy first."

Beca nodded and then looked up as the door swung open, Stacie was grinning as she carried drinks in her hands and packets of cookies between her teeth, she then walked over to the two of them and dropped the packets on to the bed before passing the two of them their respective drink.

"I can't wait to be able to drink coffee again, I mean I love hot chocolate, but coffee rules" Beca mumbled to herself as she took a sip of the drink.

"Ah, Becs?" Cassie asked, when the girl looked up she continued. "You might not be allowed coffee for a while…"

"How long is a while? And why the hell not?"

"Well, if you have to be put on medication for anxiety or something like that, caffeine can interfere with the medication. I know you hate decaf so unless you learn to like it, coffee might be off the table for a while. Literally" Stacie answered, stifling a snigger at her unintentional joke.

Beca's face dropped, she didn't utter a word, choosing to show her contempt through a sigh and shake of her head before taking a sip of her drink. Cassie smiled half-heartedly in pity; she ruffled Beca's hair like she did when the girl was a child which drew a playfully annoyed smirk from the teenager.

Rachel soon walked into the room with a wide smile and a spring in her step.

"What's got you so cheerful?" Cassie asked, feeling how contagious Rachel's mood was.

"Only Beca's release papers…" Rachel said casually, picking at her nails.

Beca's head shot up from where she was writing in a notebook that Stacie had bought her a week previously. "I can leave?"

The doctor grinned. "Yes! You'll get your last dose of medication for your break soon and then when your body fights off the drowsiness, you're free to leave. We can't keep you here any longer since the surface bruising has healed along with majority of your lacerations-"

"What about the rest?"

Rachel frowned slightly. "Are you sure you want to know all of it? It's not going to be easy to hear Miss Mitchell."

Beca raised an eyebrow at the use of her surname, Rachel indicated behind her where the door was slightly ajar, she nodded her head in understanding. "Yes Doctor, I think I'm ready to hear it."

Cassie and Stacie, missing the interaction entirely, looked at each other in confusion; however Beca's pleading glance stopped them from saying anything.

"Well, obviously the events left you with a lot of injuries both physically and mentally" Rachel began. "From the way your leg was attacked, both your tibia and fibula were broken in your right leg."

She stumbled for a moment as her throat closed up when she spoke of it all as if it was unimportant.

"You have surprising resilience given your size" Rachel gained her confidence back slightly when Beca smiled slightly through her aura of discomfort.

"None of your ribs were broken but they sustained substantial bruising, along with most areas of your face, including the eyes, cheekbones and your neck where there was pressure ap-applied."

Cassie took a deep breath as she tried to pay attention to what Rachel was saying, the doctor's posture remained rigid and professional, her speech was clipped and except for the minor slip ups, she had a complete professional and business-like tone. It was like she hadn't been by their side for the last month or so.

"The lacerations have healed completely except for a few that were more severe, but as long as you keep them clean the scabs will form in the next few days. We have numbers to set up appointments for your introduction to therapy but we request that you meet with either a support group or one of the residents within this hospital so we can monitor your progress. I'll just fetch your papers for your family to sign so you don't have to wait around in reception."

All the while that she had been speaking, Rachel had barely looked up from the clipboard that she was holding, in a very tight grip apparently.

Stacie's frown deepened.

The doctor then spun on her heel and walked out of the room, but not before she shot a quick wink and grateful smile to Beca, easing all their fears slightly.

"What the hell was that?" Stacie asked, turning towards Beca.

Beca shrugged. "No idea, she'll tell us when she comes back I guess."

No more was said as the two healthy women moved around the room and packed Beca's things into the various bags that had been brought into the room over the last month. Admittedly there wasn't a lot, but still enough to provide a distraction for the moment, Stacie squeezed Beca's hand momentarily and looked into her eyes to make sure that everything was alright with her.

* * *

Around ten minutes later, Rachel walked back into the room holding a few sheets of paper, the door closed behind her and she slumped against it, sighing in relief. She opened her tired eyes and met Beca's gaze. "Thank you"

"Who was out there?" Beca smirked, she was smart for working it out and god did she know it.

"Someone from higher up, he's been screwing around with the residents here but he seems adamant on finding a reason to get me fired. I have no idea who he is but he seems to know who I am, he was outside especially because he knows I'm your doctor and someone started rumours that I'm going beyond my duty of care for you and your family, if you catch my drift." She cleared her throat awkwardly.

Beca cocked her head in Cassie's direction subtly, Rachel nodded and the two didn't say anything beyond that. "Anyway, sign these and you're free to leave Beca! I'm sorry by the way, for being that callous…"

Beca shook her head. "No worries, I needed to hear it I think."

Whilst Cassie was signing the release papers provided, Stacie was helping Beca into a sitting position and into a pair of her grey sweatpants that would fit over her cast. She then took a black tank top and manoeuvred it up Beca's legs until it covered her torso and back, Beca then carefully threw off the hospital gown and moved her arms into the holes between the body and straps of the vest. She was inwardly grateful for the fact she couldn't see any more of the marks that she hadn't already gotten somewhat used to, Beca had the feeling that something was wrong, and it felt like a burning sensation in the lower part of her body. She didn't have the nerve to check the area, not yet anyway, there was a blank space in her memory where most of her _incident_ should have been. She didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified by that.

Beca then grinned at her sister when she saw her favourite purple plaid shirt in her hand, she ran her hands over the material and sighed softly, her mother had bought her this shirt. It was one of the last things that she had bought for her.

Slipping it on, Stacie grinned back at her. "There we go, you look like you again."

Cassie looked up and smiled at the two of them, she handed Rachel the paperwork before moving and wrapping an arm around Beca's shoulder and kissing her forehead. "My little heartbreaker"

Beca scrunched her face up in distaste, ignoring the comment completely.

"I'd say I hope to see you all again but definitely not under these circumstances." Rachel laughed t herself quietly.

"You'll see us again; I have a feeling, thank you for everything." Beca looked down at her feet which were now wearing laced up converse; she was never any good at showing her gratitude.

Stacie picked up on her friend's discomfort. "I think this would've been a lot more difficult without you"

Rachel ducked her head bashfully. "It was my pleasure, I'm glad I could help, like I said before you can come to me with anything. I'm sure you'll see my family around if you go to Barden anyways."

She then moved over to Beca and helped her into the wheelchair that a nurse had left in the room at some point during the day. "What are you looking forward to when you get out of here?"

Beca sighed wistfully. "Probably the house, and a decent shower I haven't had a proper shower since I came here. The first thing I'll do is probably shower then have a proper meal."

Rachel looked at Stacie out of the corner of her eye, and was satisfied when she saw the younger girl nod in reassurance. "Come in for your check-ups with me, that way you'll see a familiar face and I can keep an eye on you, I'll put you to the best therapists. We've had cases before where a patient needed a special type of psychiatrist but to save the hospital from extra expenses they were given a standard treatment. I've almost lost my position here a few times because of my 'vocal opinions'" She rolled her eyes before kneeling down in front of Beca, without touching her ribs she hugged the girl gently.

Beca froze, no one but Stacie and Cassie hugged her, she felt a rush of warmth invade her mind as she carefully moved her arms up to hug her doctor's waist.

The pair soon let go and Rachel offered to accompany them down to reception, they left soon after that with a backpack hanging off Beca's wheelchair and a pair of crutches in her arms. When Beca had become strong enough to move around recently, she had been taught how to displace her weight so she could use crutches to increase her mobility, Stacie had already begin to affectionately call her the 'cripple'. Beca just smirked and brought up the fact that Stacie was apparently smitten with a girl that she had only met once and had a five minute conversation with. She soon stopped teasing her, much to Beca's amusement.

After a nauseating journey in the lift, they soon arrived in the main reception, Rachel handed the sheets that Cassie had previously signed to the man sitting at reception with a smile. She turned back to the group to find Cassie jumping into her arms, she could hear the other woman whispering her words of appreciation, and she smiled to herself, thankful that she could help this family even in the smallest of ways.

Beca had hauled herself out of her chair and into her crutches, and she looked _extremely_ pleased with herself. Stacie giggled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're like a kitten learning to walk Becs, all fluffy and adorable."

Beca glared at her sister. "I swear as soon as I get my strength back I'm going to kill you Conrad."

Whilst Stacie was bent over slightly trying to stifle her laughter and Beca looking incredibly pissed off, Cassie leaned up to Rachel and whispered to Rachel quietly. "Should I be worried about how casual Beca seems?"

"Not yet." Rachel replied, not taking her eyes off the scene in front of her. She kept her tone professional as they were in public and anyone could have been listening. "Your daughter was telling me how Beca seems to be able to force her body into not reacting to stimulus if she ignores it, and she seems to be putting her trauma in the back of her mind for now. When she has to actually acknowledge it, that's when it will get difficult. I would have suggested keeping her here under observation but I feel it would have done more harm than good, plus there's no physical reason for her to stay here. When she sees the scar or any of the bruising other than what's on her arms may set her off. I think she'll be having nightmares for a while, we can't prescribe the medication we gave her which essentially puts her into a coma during the night, she'll be given sleeping pills at best by her doctor, and they will only stop her mind from jolting itself awake when she gets scared. So that might not help either, someone will have to stay with her."

Cassie nodded almost imperceptibly. "Stacie will sleep in her bed with her for a while anyway, for peace of mind for both of them I think. I'll keep an eye on her, and I'll keep you informed if I get worried about anything."

Rachel's eyes softened for a moment, long enough for Cassie to catch it before the professional façade returned. She then pulled a card from the inside pocket of her coat and handed it to Cassie.

The woman raised an eyebrow a she looked at the name, phone number and email address on the card. Rachel smirked slightly. "You know, for any questions about Beca you might have."

Cassie laughed a little. "I think we're going to be fast friends, Doctor Stevens. Thank you for all this."

"It was my pleasure" Came the quick reply before she called out her goodbyes to Beca and Stacie before attending to her beeping pager and walking down the hall quickly.

* * *

Around twenty minutes later, the car finally pulled to a stop outside the familiar house, everything was still the same. The brickwork, the ivy growing up the side of the house, the oak brown door upon the wooden porch which held so many memories for all three of them. The swing set that had been hung there by Cassie's father, the wind chime hung from a hook near the entrance to the porch still made a beautiful sound as the wind travelled through the area, as if it was the house's way of welcoming Beca back.

Without much help, Beca managed to make her way up the drive and toward the door with Stacie and Cassie right behind her.

The door was unlocked by Cassie and the three women made their way inside with tears building in Beca's eyes as she finally came to terms with the fact that she was safe, and she wasn't going to be hurt anymore. She had stood awkwardly for a moment before Cassie motioned upstairs and asked if she could manage it, Beca nodded furiously before slowly making her way up to the landing.

She was directed to the spare room, when she pushed it open she gasped and looked around in awe.

With the curtains closed, the room was dark; Stacie had changed her mind at the last minute and moved the fairy lights from the ceiling to the walls so they illuminated all the corners of the room. Now, using lights and a little help from an interior designer, there was Beca's own personal universe all over the ceiling. Constellations, stars and bursts of colour were painted over the ceiling above her, gaining all their interests. A standard Queen sized bed was pushed up against the back wall with bed side cabinets on either side. The nine-cube storage unit was parallel to the bed, given the position there wasn't much distance between them. They placed Beca's bags on the floor near the wardrobe nearby and found Beca staring at the desk.

Organised into the exact same positioning that it had been in in her old house, stood a mixing board, her laptop and her silver pair of Beats.

The two women walked to either side of the girl and Stacie nudged her lightly. "Welcome home, DJ."

* * *

 _ **Sorry if the quality of this went downhill a little near the end, I've been working on this for the last couple of days but I'm ill af right now so I can't concentrate but wanted to get this up.**_

 _ **Anyway I'm sort of at a crossroads with where this story is heading, I have a thing planned that will be significant but I need to know if you guys will be okay with it. I won't say anything, but if you're kind enough to leave me a review, can you just answer the question at the end of the review please.**_

 _ **How much of a douchebag should I make Tom?**_

 _ **He can be a stereotypical jock that just gets rejected, or I can make him not take that news very well and he becomes a bit of an ass. There's a big event that is banking on the answer to this question so I'd massively appreciate any idea of what you want to see.**_


	8. Chapter 7

_So here is about six months of time in one chapter, literally all snippets of Beca and how she adapts, they're starting Barden next chapter so I'll be introducing the rest of the characters :D_

 _P.S the '***' is essentially later on in the same snippet._

* * *

Beca had been home twelve hours and Stacie was sat in her room, worrying.

 _Should I leave her alone?_

 _Should I stay with her?_

She had desperately tried to keep herself busy instead of pandering Beca, but she couldn't help it. She'd left Beca on her own once and didn't notice the fact that she was almost killed, so her worry was justified, right?

Stacie moved her body so she was lying on her back; she stared up at her ceiling and bit her lip, unaware of the figure standing in the doorway awkwardly.

"Stace?"

She looked up to see Beca leaning against the door frame, biting her lip.

"What's wrong Becs?"

Beca didn't answer for a few moments; she shuffled into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Anything." Stacie answered immediately.

"When everyone goes to sleep tonight, will you stay with me?"

The tension seeped out of Stacie's body within seconds. "Of course, Becs."

* * *

"Cass!" Beca yelled.

"Yeah!" Came the reply.

"Going for a shower!"

"Alright, towels are in the cupboard like normal!"

Stacie leapt out of bed and sprinted out of her room and towards the bathroom; she shouldered the door open and breathed out in relief as she noticed that Beca hadn't gotten in the shower yet.

"Listen… I made Rachel a promise that I'd stay with you for your first shower, I won't come in with you obviously I just need to stay and make sure you're okay" She explained.

Beca's face hardened slightly. "I don't need you to be with me twenty-four-seven Stace"

Stacie didn't bat an eyelid. "You know that's not what this is about Beca, you have to face it at some point, I think we'd all rather you did it with me here."

Beca took a deep breath but didn't reply, she turned around and moved her hands under the waistband of her sweatpants then shoved them down so her legs were exposed. Stacie knew that she wanted to go slow so this way made sense to her, her heart jumped to her throat when she saw the bruising from John all over her thighs. Yet that wasn't what made her gasp.

All along Beca's outer thighs were a littering of cuts, both new and old also varying in size and depth. Her fists were clenched as was her jaw as she fought back the shout for Stacie to leave her alone. Beca kept her eyes on the floor as she knew that Stacie had the look of pity on her face.

"I don't need your pity Stacie." Beca spat, unable to control her defence mechanism.

Stacie didn't speak for a moment, and then her expression softened. "I don't pity you" She whispered.

That made Beca look up at her. "What?"

"I said" Stacie paused as she stood up and moved closer to Beca. "I don't pity you."

Beca looked so shocked in that moment that she had to continue. "I feel bad, yeah of course. I'd only pity you if this was the end of the road for you, but it isn't. You'll get better and me pitying you isn't going to help you get there."

Stacie had moved right into Beca's personal space at this point, she gently moved the straps of her black tank top down her shoulders. To anyone who didn't know them, this would have been an intimate moment between lovers, yet here it was Stacie offering Beca a crutch to get through the next few months of her life, a crutch that showed that Beca didn't have to face her scars alone, her sister would always be by her side.

They started from the top and worked their way down, Beca gradually became tenser and her breathing became more erratic the further down they moved her top downwards. There were more self-inflicted cuts dotted along her ribs, along with fist sized bruises in random places. Stacie paused in her path to allow Beca a few moments to get her breathing under control.

"You okay?"

"No." Beca answered shortly.

"You don't have to look if you don't want to; I won't pressure you if you're not ready." Stacie tried to reassure her.

"You sound like you're trying to take my virginity Stace." Beca laughed breathily.

Stacie fought down a smirk. "Only you would be making jokes at a time like this, do you want to face the mirror?"

Beca turned her head slightly and gritted her teeth as she forced her eyes open, they kept the piece of fabric on her waist but exposed the rest of her torso. Beca took several deep breaths as she looked down on herself; Stacie squeezed her shoulder gently as she whispered comforting things.

"You're doing amazing Becs, it's okay. We can stop any time, don't force yourself."

Beca shook her head. "No I need to do this; I won't let it overpower me."

Stacie felt a rush of pride for her sister, she was being so strong in that moment that she had to take a moment and admire the courage of the girl. She then moved the black shirt lower and exposed the part of Beca that she wanted to destroy the most.

Beca's eyes instantly shut as Stacie threw the top down to her ankles, leaving her in nothing but her underwear. Her breathing increased tenfold and her fists clenched even tighter, Stacie took the fists into her hands and began to massage them gently to relieve the tension.

"Beca…" She whispered. "I have an idea but I need you to give me your hands."

The smaller girl didn't reply but her breathing began to slow at the comforting tone of her sister's voice, she unclenched her fists slowly and allowed Stacie to move them towards her hips, she forced her hands to remain to unclenched but her arms were still tense enough that they would snap with the slightest jolt.

Stacie took Beca's index finger and gently began to trace the scar that John had left; she repeated the process enough times that Beca began to do it herself, Stacie then moved her hand away slowly and watched carefully for the slightest change in Beca's reaction.

Her eyes opened and she finally looked upon the jagged scarring that had been left, tears began to fall down her cheeks and her legs gave out from under her.

Stacie quickly caught Beca and quickly began to speak. "No no no no, Beca come on you can do this. It's okay, he's not here."

The streams from Beca's eyes didn't appear to stop at any rate as she carried on shaking; she clawed desperately at the skin of her wrists, hoping that the pain would anchor her to reality. Her vision darkened and the only thing Beca knew was the sound of someone screaming.

And it sounded like her.

"MOM!" Stacie screamed.

The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer in a matter of seconds, Cassie practically ripped the door off its hinges as she burst into the bathroom, her jaw fell open and she froze for a moment as her gaze landed on Beca who was unconscious on the floor in Stacie's arms with small, but bleeding cuts on her wrists.

"Get her into her room; I'll grab the first aid kit." Cassie ordered as she bolted out of the room.

Stacie did as she was told and hoisted Beca into her arms then took off down the hallway, she deposited Beca on the bed as carefully as she could before stepping back and allowing Cassie to move forward to her side when she returned.

A few moments later Cassie was at Beca's side with a small first-aid kit that they kept in the kitchen, she didn't take her eyes of the girl on the bed as she spoke. "Tell me what happened."

Stacie explained everything from the moment she entered the bathroom, she left out no details and watched as Cassie's expression changed from confusion to worry. She opened the kit and took out some anti-bacterial wipes, she then gently cleaned the areas where Beca's nails had broken through the skin in her panic, they were only small so neither Cassie nor Stacie were too worried.

Beca's eyebrows were furrowed as she felt the sting of the chemicals in her unconscious mind, which the other two took as a good sign. "So what do we do?" Stacie asked.

"We have to wait until she's conscious again, then we'll see if we have to call Rachel for advice or something." Cassie replied.

Stacie nodded and the two women got comfortable in their seats, waiting for Beca to come back to them.

* * *

Beca felt her throat close up slightly as she walked through the double doors of the hospital with some help from her crutches, it loosened once more as she caught the eye of the woman in front of her.

They shook hands and she relaxed almost instantly.

"It's nice to see you up and about Beca." Rachel winked. "Let's go up to my office and we'll talk about how you've been coping."

* * *

Beca was sat at her desk, late on a Tuesday night, looking down at her mixing board. Normally the music would flow through her and the bass lines would mix without much effort, but she couldn't make the connection right now, she got her cast off in four days and was meeting Rachel for another therapy session after that.

She had been living in the Conrad household for almost a month, and she still hadn't looked at the permanent mark left by her father, every time she had a shower she had been getting Stacie to wash her stomach so she didn't have to look at herself.

Before she knew it, Beca had moved from her mixing station to the other side of the room where her mother's Casio PX860 resided, after 'the incident' the police had cleared out the majority of the house and, thanks to DI Williams, had included Beca in the decision of what to do with the possessions. She had opted to bin or recycle most of it, but chose to keep her mother's possessions in Cassie's attic after she expressed interest in the items also. Chrissie had played the piano when she was a little girl, taught by her mother, who had also taught Beca before she passed away.

With the thoughts of her past in her mind, Beca quickly began to play, a melody that weaved a haunting tale of betrayal and loss, she began to hum along with music as if the pattern was already written out in front of her. No words were required, the emotion in the keys and in her voice were just as painful to the listener that currently stood in the doorway.

By the time the song ended Beca couldn't even cry, she had no more tears to shed over this, she spun around to see Cassie standing in the doorway after she heard a muffled sniffling.

"You okay?"

"Beca that was beautiful…" Cassie trailed away. "Both your Mom and your Grandma would be so, so proud of you."

Beca looked down at her shoes from her seat. "Thanks, I guess"

Cassie's eyebrows rose. "You guess? Want to tell me what's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

"What if he was right? What if I'm nothing but a dirty mistake that'll amount to nothing?" Beca asked in a small voice.

Cassie crossed the room in three strides and bumped Beca up with her hip so she could sit down, drawing a tiny smile from the girl. "Now, what I'm about to tell you, I've never told anyone, so I need you to promise me that you'll never say a word to anyone, including Stacie."

Beca's eyes narrowed, she nodded nervously.

"Well, you know that Stace's father was an asshole, right?" At Beca's nod she continued. "He didn't want children when I told him I was pregnant, but you already knew that, what I never told anyone was that he attacked me when I started to show."

"Attacked you?" Beca interrupted.

Cassie nodded. "Mhm punched me in the stomach and threw me down the flight of stairs in the block of flat we were living in at the time."

Beca's blood boiled, she never had the misfortune of meeting the man but she wished she knew him in that moment, so she could kill him herself.

"You look so much like your mother…" Cassie whispered.

That stopped Beca's train of thought as she looked up, waiting for some kind of explanation. "Your Mom found out herself, she was the only person to know because she was my emergency contact at the hospital when I staggered in asking if my baby was still alive. She wore that same look on her face when she pieced it together that you're wearing now, whilst I was in the hospital, she went back to my flat, packed up all of Ross' things and beat the shit out of him when her went back there."

Beca felt a rush of pride at being compared to her mother, she grinned widely. "What did she do to him?"

"Knocked out three of his teeth, broke one of his cheekbones, two black eyes and a broken nose, plus some bruised ribs if I remember correctly." Cassie laughed at the memory. "I never saw him again."

Beca began to laugh with her, feeling lighter already, she loved hearing stories about her Mom.

"I guess the reason I'm telling you this, is that you are surrounded by people that know how to carry baggage. Stacie should've died that day, yet she powered through it, I wasn't willing to take shit from Ross so I learnt how to be a single parent. Your Mom often believed that she couldn't handle what was going on in her life, but she had a fire in her that I've only ever seen in you Beca. It might be horrible at the minute, but you can do this."

The teenager didn't think that anyone could have done more for her in that moment; she sat still for a few minutes, unable to articulate her gratitude to Cassie. For the first time since her mother died, she believed that she was strong, _she could beat this._

Beca leapt to her feet and walked quickly to the other side of the room before she lost her nerve, her purple socks made muffled sounds against the hardwood floor of her bedroom as she opened the doors of her wardrobe, where there was a full length mirror inside one of the doors.

Cassie moved off the bench also as she worked out what Beca was doing, she moved to her adoptive daughter and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. Beca nodded to herself at the feeling and then shrugged off the hand, standing in front of the mirror she softly moved her hands to grip at the hem of her baggy shirt. With a newfound resolve, she lifted the shirt and fought to maintain her composure.

Cassie was grateful that the scar seemed to have faded somewhat in the last month, but the lettering was still clear as day, Beca's breathing deepened and Cassie paid attention to the changes. There were no bumps now, just thin white lines, but Cassie chose to not comment on it.

Beca ran her hands over the scarred tissue gently, as if the slightest pressure would reopen the wound and bring the memories back with it. She let out a deep breath before beginning to speak in soft undertones.

"You know…" She began. "I think this is easier than I thought it'd be."

Cassie sighed in relief. "The first step is admitting you have a problem, and then we can work with everything else. The thought of something is always more dramatic than the reality of the situation, yes this is horrible and unbelievable to most people, but you're looking at this with a lot of maturity. Congratulations Beca, you're starting to get better."

* * *

After four gruelling weeks, Beca threw her crutches to the side and held her hands out to Dana, her physiotherapist.

The older woman gently held her arms and began to take slow steps back, inviting Beca to move forward with her.

It took practice, but soon Beca was able to walk on her own. She wanted to run around to relieve the built up energy she was feeling inside, but she settled for getting out her phone and dialling Stacie's number. After a few rings she answered.

"What's up Champ?"

"I CAN WALK" Beca yelled into the phone, laughing at the sound of Stacie's wince.

"Great. You're no longer a walking cripple, but now you've made me a hearing cripple." Stacie replied shortly, Beca could practically hear the other girl pouting.

The two hung up their phones not long later and then Beca thanked her doctor for everything, Dana had just smiled warmly and wished her a goodbye before sending her on her way.

Beca then moved slowly as she walked back into the waiting room, she was given intense instruction by Rachel about transitioning from walking to running or any other kind of strenuous activity before she met with Cassie in the main reception.

Beca was essentially shaking with excitement, she tried to pass off the ordeal as nothing worth mentioning but she always found herself smiling not long later. Cassie had pulled her into her arms and squeezed tightly, something she hadn't been able to do with Beca's permission since she was young.

"Put me down!" Beca protested half-laughing.

Cassie simply laughed as she put her down on her feet again.

* * *

They had spent roughly four and a half hours in the car and Beca was beginning to shift around in her angst, even before her injury she was a person interested in sport but now she wanted to move all the time. So being stuck in a car for an extended period of time was not the way she wanted to be spending her afternoon.

As soon as they had passed a sign saying 'Birmingham, Alabama' Beca had turned to Cassie with an expression of confusion.

"Remember when you told me that you wanted tattoos as soon as I would let you get them?" Cassie spoke.

Beca nodded her head furiously.

"Well, since your birthday is coming up I was going to pay for you to get two tattoos of your choice today as an early present with some of the money that your Mom left me. In her will she left me some money, remember? Well in a letter she gave me through the will, she said to use it to take care of you in any way that you needed. So I want to run an idea by you."

Beca nodded and waited for her to elaborate.

"I know you're struggling to look at the scar still, so I was going to say if you wanted to cover it up, why not get something that means a lot to you?"

"Such as?" Beca asked, already loving this idea.

"How about a husky?"

Beca softened; huskies were her mother's favourite animal. She had been planning on adopting one since she was ten years old, then she had taught Beca about how beautiful the creatures are. They represented companionship, loyalty and protection, three things that Beca highly valued in a person.

"Let's do it, is the other one my choice?" Beca asked with certainty, grinning at Stacie's nod of approval from the back seat.

When Cassie nodded, Beca spoke with conviction. "A pair of earphones, curling around my wrist."

"Vincent!" Cassie yelled.

A man walked out of the backroom of Evol Ink and his eyes lit up when he saw Cassie. "Hey Short Stuff!"

The two hugged tightly and laughed when they pulled away. "Becs, Stacie this is Vinny, an old friend of mine and Chrissie's from college."

The man, 'Vinny', waved in hello at the two but his eyes lingered on Beca a little longer. "C's daughter?"

Beca nodded and stuck her hand out, Vinny shook it firmly, choosing to not to hug her as she didn't come across as the type for physical affection, the one trait that she received from John.

"So, the husky? The design is by the counter if you want to check it out, anything else I can do for you?" He asked.

"Earphones around my wrist." Beca replied.

"Flip through the book, I'm sure one of my previous designs is in there for earphones."

Stacie and Beca moved over to the counter and gave their approval of the husky, it was gorgeous. It didn't take long to find Vincent's earphones design either, they were both perfect.

Meanwhile, over by the chair Cassie and Vincent spoke in hushed tones.

"Don't react when you see the scar, please." Cassie implored.

"What do you take me for?" Vincent whispered. "I won't, she's safe in my hands. God she looks so much like Chrissie."

Cassie sighed. "Yeah she does."

Another five hours, and Beca had two painfully new tattoos, she barely flinched whilst Vincent was putting the ink in her arm. All of them tried not to think about how Beca had built up her pain tolerance.

Along the slope of her hipbone, now rested a majestic black and white husky which seemed to strike the balance between ferocious and protective, and gentle and beautiful. Its blue eyes seemed to be looking at you no matter what angle you stood at, it seemed to be lying down on Beca's hip with its head resting on its paws which hung off the peak of the bone.

The earphones began at the crook of her elbow, where it was made to look as if the jack was plugged into her skin, _giving off the impression that Beca IS music, it is her very life force,_ the wire then spun around her arm before ending in the middle of the inside of Beca's forearm where the earpieces were inked. Beca could not have been happier, she thanked Vincent profusely, knowing the risk he was taking giving her a tattoo when she is underage, even with Cassie's consent it could have caused trouble.

He smiled and nodded his head. "It was my pleasure; it's my job to make things beautiful. Happy birthday Beca."

Cassie went to hand him the money she owed; he took the bills into his hand and flipped through them carefully. Before she could turn away, he placed roughly four hundred dollars in her hand.

"Why?" She asked mouth agape.

Vincent laughed before putting the money in his hand into the register. "Take them out for dinner or something, birthday treat on me."

"You're too good Vince, thank you." Cassie hugged him one more time before he ushered them out the door.

"Again, no trouble. Don't hesitate to call me if you need something, or if you just fancy a chat." He grinned as he watched them from the doorway.

Cassie nodded. "Count on it, we'll have to go to Hollywood for a weekend sometime."

"I'll make sure we don't have to get your stomach pumped this time." He laughed as he closed the door.

"Mom!" Stacie laughed.

Cassie shrugged. "What? It was a dare to see how much we could handle, plus Chrissie kept spiking my drinks with tequila because she knew how weak I am on that."

Beca and Stacie were still laughing about it three hours later, much to Cassie's playful chagrin.

* * *

"Well I can tell you now, that given the circumstances we would be happy to take you both on at Barden High." The middle aged man sat across from them smiled politely.

Beca and Stacie sighed out in relief.

"Obviously we won't require you to take your Sophomore Year Finals, but we will need you to catch up on the parts of your course that were missed given the- uh- circumstances." He explained.

"Of course." Beca nodded. "Thank you, Principal Johnson."

'Principal Johnson' was a man in his mid-forties with a kind smile and tired eyes; he wore a casual suit without a tie and the top of the shirt unbuttoned, which was obviously a meagre attempt to battle the summer heat.

The two girls quickly stood up and shook his hand; they then walked outside and grinned at Cassie who was sat opposite the door.

"All good?"

They nodded.

Cassie whooped and spun in a tight circle, making all three of them laugh uproariously. As they walked back to the car, Beca was skimming through the papers that the principle had given her. "This school is massive; thank God Johnson is getting someone to help us."

Stacie wiggled her eyebrows. "Maybe it'll be Aubrey?"

Beca sighed and shook her head. "You're still hung up on this girl? You spoke to her for five minutes Stace!"

Stacie stuck her tongue out at Beca. "Maybe it was love at first sight."

Cassie laughed softly at her daughters' antics as Beca stopped and bent over as she pretended to vomit. Beca had come so far in the last few months.

She had spoken to the Principal about joining clubs and even asked about the music department. She had been working at the piano a lot since she had first played that piece when Cassie was watching, she had recorded that particular piece but no one but the two of them had heard it. Beca had said that she wasn't ready to let Stacie hear it yet, she had also been working at her mixes which were steadily improving. The only thing she hadn't been doing was singing, both Cassie and Stacie were hoping that she would come back to it in time as she had a beautiful voice, but it wasn't something that they could push. Her singing was something that was sacred between her and her mother, it didn't feel right without Chrissie's backing vocals.

The only thing that could put a dampener on Cassie's mood was the phone in her back pocket, which held an email that she had read earlier in the day from DI Williams.

 _I need to know if Beca can testify, there is enough evidence to put that bastard away from the scene, but it won't be for as long as it could be if she doesn't._

 _I hope you're all doing well._

 _James._

It wasn't fair for Beca to be thrown back into reality so soon after beginning to smile and laugh again, she was already beginning to gain an attitude problem to people she wasn't familiar with. Both Stacie and Cassie knew that it was a defence mechanism so no one got too close, but it was still worrying, at this rate adapting to Barden was going to be difficult. Beca was her regular self around them, but when they met someone that Beca didn't know, she was surly and sarcastic.

Cassie could only hope that this would improve with time, because she couldn't forgive herself if Beca was used as a weapon in court so soon. _Maybe after a few months._ Cassie thought to herself. _But definitely not yet._

* * *

 _So I have 5 days before I have to go back to college, with a little luck I'll get the next one out by then. I want to thank everyone who has left reviews and favourited/followed. I've been told to stick with my original plan regarding Tom so I'm sorry but he's going to be a bit of an asshole in this fic, sorry to all the people that wanted him to be a little sweet._

 _See you next time._


	9. Chapter 8

_**First day at Barden High, characters are finally introduced and Beca learns that it doesn't matter where you go, there are always overdramatic assholes and every step forward, is another step back.**_

* * *

"Come on, up!"

"Fuck off."

"Becaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" Stacie drawled as Cassie tried to stifle her laughter from the doorway.

"Stacieeeeeeeeeeeeeee" Beca imitated her voice. "I'll say it again, fuck off."

Beca turned over and buried her face into her pillow before snuggling deeper into her blankets; Stacie sighed as she clicked her neck then tensed her muscles. "Last chance Becs?"

She only received a grunt in response, so she then looked at Cassie and raised an eyebrow before leaping from where she stood and on to Beca. The girl in the bed yelled as she began to scrap with Stacie playfully, they soon fell to the floor as Stacie tickled her. Beca shrieked and began to flail as she desperately tried to fight her off; she felt a slight twinge in her ribs but ignored it as she cried out "Okay! I'm up!"

Stacie's attacks ceased instantly and they got to their feet, both out of breath and grinning madly. Cassie shook her head at the two of them before turning around and walking out of the room. "Get ready and I'll give you a lift to school, you've not got long!"

Beca groaned and rubbed her eyes with her knuckles, she reached out as far as she could, moaning in relief as she heard her bones click. Stacie cringed and shoved her. "That's disgusting, now hurry up and get changed while I grab my clothes"

When she'd left the room, Beca smiled softly before pulling a pair of black skinny jeans and a red tank top out of her wardrobe. After changing her underwear, she slipped the clothes on but left the top bunched up around her chest and the jeans unbuttoned as she looked at herself in the mirror. The marks had faded and the bruises had gone, she hadn't felt the need to use her stash of razors since she had left the hospital but she wasn't thick. Throwing herself back into the life of school would either make her, or break her. According to Stacie, Barden was a school that gave out free periods as times to take a break so Beca was hoping that she would have some time to hit either the gym or the basketball court and shoot some hoops. It was an accuracy or endurance kind of day for her, if her leg was stronger she probably would have gone out on to the field and ran the track but she couldn't have her legs out on show.

"Nervous?"

Beca broke out of her thoughts and looked at Stacie through the mirror. "Yeah I guess, fancy a dance in the court later if we have free?"

Stacie grinned. "Hell yeah, bring it short stuff!"

Beca flipped her off. "Shut it you Titan. Be honest with me, how bad is it?" She gestured to her still exposed stomach.

She shrugged. "It's a lot better than it was, think about it like that. Besides there's no actual uniform for gym unless you join the teams, and I'm sure by then your legs won't show any scars unless anyone is staring."

Beca nodded, feeling slightly better, she then retrieved some socks and put them on before getting her black converse to go with it. As she stood up, she grabbed a grey and white plaid shirt and slipped that on too.

"Nice jewellery choice, going for the 'don't fuck with me' look?" Stacie commented.

"Yeah, feels like it'll make a great first impression." Beca said sarcastically.

"Sit down for a sec; I want to show you something."

Beca sat in her chair obediently, watching Stacie rifle through the drawers looking for something. She cheered as she pulled out two black tubes; Beca raised an eyebrow as Stacie drew nearer to her.

"Eyeliner and Mascara" Stacie answered the unspoken question.

Beca knew that Stacie was a pro when it came to make-up; she then allowed her to draw on her eyelids and was pleased with the results when she opened her eyes. Beca now had two perfect flicks, heavy enough to make her look 'alternative' but not enough to make it seem like too much.

"Thanks Stace." Beca smiled, trying not to scratch at her eyelids.

Stacie nodded her head before pulling them both to their feet and down the stairs, Cassie stood in the kitchen nursing a cup of coffee whilst waiting for them. There were two travel mugs on the counter nearby, which both Stacie and Beca grabbed before taking a long grateful sip.

"I have missed coffee so much." Beca sighed as she took another sip.

"You two ready for your first day then?" Cassie asked, clapping her hands together after she had set her mug in the sink.

"Yeah." Stacie replied as she grabbed hers and Beca's bags from the living room.

The three of them had gone shopping a few days before where they had collected a multitude of notebooks, pens, etc. Which Stacie was beginning to regret now he realised that she had to carry it around all day.

"You sure you don't want to do anything tonight Becs?" Cassie asked with a look of understanding in her eyes. She let the subject drop when Beca had shaken her head furiously.

A few days previously, it had been Beca's birthday, beyond the tattoos she had insisted that they treat it as if it was a normal day. Beca had taken off during the afternoon and hadn't returned for several hours, she had stayed in contact with Cassie like she was asked but refused to tell anyone what she had been doing. Stacie didn't speak up, but she had a theory that Beca had spent those hours at her Mom's grave.

"Well, let's go then" Cassie then ushered them out the door and towards the car.

Beca had worn her headphones for the majority of the drive, which didn't take long since they had moved house whilst Beca was in the hospital, she had kept bouncing her knee which was a dead giveaway for the fact that she was nervous.

They had left the car upon arrival with a wish of good luck from Cassie, now it was their first day the school seemed a lot bigger than the last time they were here. They had gotten a lot of looks from passing students as they walked inside, which made Beca's worries flare up like a firework, Stacie kept a reassuring hand on her shoulder which calmed her down a little but she could still feel everyone staring. There was no visible sense of panic though, which she classed as a victory.

As soon as they reached the reception, Stacie stopped them and turned to Beca. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Beca nodded firmly. "Yeah. Can't run away forever now, can I?"

Stacie threw her one more worried look before knocking politely and pressing the door open, the two brunettes stepped inside and saw the same friendly reception that they had met upon their enrolment.

 _Thank god for a familiar face._ Beca thought.

"Ah here you are, I'd like for you to meet one of the students in your year, also the young lady who will be showing you around."

The girl in the seat got up and turned around to face Beca and Stacie, she grinned at them before offering her hand out for a shake.

"The name's Patricia, but you can call me Fat Amy."

* * *

As it turned out, Beca was dealing with the new school situation better than she thought she would, she had a feeling that Amy had been told some details about what had happened since she was very obviously trying to reassure Beca that Barden was a good place.

However whilst they were walking down the hallway, passing a number of lockers, they encountered a group of boys.

"Barden's a good school I guess, obviously since they let my sexy fat arse in, right?"

Stacie laughed at Amy; she thought her accent was amazing, even Beca was cracking a few smiles.

"Well looky what we have here…"

The three girls turned around to see a group of four boys staring at them, one with a malicious smirk, and the other three with indifference. There was another boy who had his back to the lockers; he stared at Amy with a pleading look, who responded with a small nod.

"What d'ya want, Bumper? Benji's done nothing to you turdburgers"

The boy at the front, Bumper, scoffed and glared at Amy. "This is none of your business; I just wanted to welcome the fresh meat to our school. They better know their place if they want to survive around here."

Amy's eyebrow arched. "As if you own this place, I've got baby koalas more threatening than you."

"Little Nerd here knows his place, he finds me plenty threatening."

Beca couldn't help herself; she ducked around Amy and spoke up before Stacie could stop her. "Yeah because you've got your little groupies here, I bet you couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag."

One of the three boys behind him, a tall and tanned boy with brown eyes glared at Beca, Bumper stepped forward and seethed. "Wanna bet?"

Beca smirked. "Try me."

Stacie was now standing behind Beca, there's no way she'd let this asshole hurt her, Bumper seemed like the kind of guy who would talk big but if his 'bros' were distracted he wouldn't do anything. So she turned to Amy and mentioned her head towards the lackeys, Amy grinned and the two moved to get Benji away from them.

The one who had glared at Beca bared his teeth at Stacie when she drew near, what was this guy, a fucking werewolf? She just raised an eyebrow and tensed her muscles, curling her hands into fists as she shoved this boy out of the way in an effort to get to Benji. He was thrown backwards a few steps which gave the younger boy the time to duck under his reach and move a safe distance away, the lack of a victim made the boy back off slightly. Stacie turned her head to see Amy with the two of the other boys up against the lockers as she, what looked as to be threatening, the boys in a foreign language. She then turned her head to see Beca and Bumper still trading insults, Stacie admired Beca's cold look of boredom but she noticed that her leg were shaking slightly. Stacie then moved to Bumper's side and shoved him as hard as she could, which sent him flying into the lockers and to the floor.

"Not so fun when it's happening to you, huh?" Beca glared, her voice was cold as ice, making even Stacie shiver.

"This is stupid." Bumper spat. "Kolio, Uni, Jesse, let's go."

The boys moved forward in unison, they hauled Bumper to his feet and stalked down the hallway, presumably to their first class.

"First day and we're already causing trouble, huh?" Stacie joked as she kneeled in front of Beca. Turning to Amy, she asked. "Can you give us a minute?" Amy nodded and walked down the hallway to where two other students were standing and joined in their conversation.

"You okay, Becs?"

Beca began taking deep breaths as soon as Amy had left hearing range; she placed a hand on Stacie's shoulder and gripped it tightly, trying to anchor herself to the present. She nodded in response to the question. "I don't think I'm ready to be starting fights yet, Stace. I'm okay it's just the adrenaline of waiting for him to hit me. John used to do that; he'd drag it out to make my fear worse."

They both kept their voices down as they spoke, not wanting anyone to hear them speak; Stacie encouraged Beca to breathe in time with her, which made the younger girl calm down a little.

"Just remember what Jones said to us." Stacie paused as she took on the voice of a British man. "Focus on something that marks your opponent as different from the man."

Beca couldn't stop the laugh that tore itself out of her throat at Stacie's impression; Jones was a British man in his mid-twenties who served as their personal trainer. He helped Beca get back into running and her sports of choice, he also taught them to fight. As soon as Beca had finished her physiotherapy, Cassie had hired Jones and they began their training. Not enough time had been spent learning actual techniques, but they could both handle themselves in a fight. Plus Beca had a knack for knowing someone's moves before they did them through their body language and the way their muscles tensed in that split second.

"E-excuse me?"

Stacie, and the now calm Beca, turned around to see the boy they had saved standing in front of them nervously; he scratched his arm and didn't meet their eyes. "I just wanted to say thank you, not many people other than the Bellas would stand up for me like that."

Beca didn't smile but her expression softened, she reached a hand out to the boy. "Benji, right? Well I'm Beca and this is Stacie, and don't worry about earlier I'd never leave someone like that."

Stacie grinned. "Don't mind her, she never smiles."

Benji laughed a little. "Welcome to Barden High."

"Who're the Bellas?" Stacie asked.

The boy looked around and shouted for Amy to re-join the group; she abandoned the two students immediately and stood next to Benji. "What's up?"

"Who're the Bellas?" Benji reiterated Stacie's question.

"Only the sexiest bunch of girls that Barden has to offer, they only got the 'sexy' part after I joined the group" Amy explained, whipping her hair over her shoulder.

Both Stacie and Beca raised their eyebrows as they laughed, Benji quickly took over. "Barden's kind of big on Acapella; one of the groups is the Barden Bellas."

"Oh yeah, that's like, a thing now?"

Benji and Amy nodded. "There are four groups on campus." Benji explained. "The Barden Bellas-"

"We're the Tits, as Chloe would say." Amy interrupted, nudging Benji playfully.

"Chloe's my cousin." Benji decided to mention. "Which is why the Bellas are protective over me, but the Treblemakers, who contains some of the guys you met earlier, then target me because I'm a sore spot."

Beca burst into laughter. "The _Treblemakers_? Are you fucking kidding me?"

Benji nodded, somewhat pitifully. "The tragic name courtesy of Bumper Allen himself, the other two groups is the BU Harmonics, who sing a lot of Madonna. Also the High Notes, who just say they're a group to get out of certain classes so they can just get high out in one of the corners of campus."

"Dye your hair and you're literally Chloe, you just spouted the same skit she give to the newbies."

"Well if you guys recruit these two then they'll have already heard the spiel from me, so no judgmental looks from Aubrey."

Stacie perked up. "Aubrey?"

Beca rolled her eyes. "Here we go…"

* * *

When Bea and Stacie actually took a moment to look at their new schedules, they had quite a few classes together, conveniently they had Physics together first period and no classes after 1:30. The two girls were the double team of Physics at their last school, to the surprise of the majority of the people that knew them, they were both extremely smart.

Their first class was a little awkward, given the stares that the students were giving them. Stacie had smiled at most whilst Beca had downright scowled at all of them, only changing her features for Amy and Benji when she saw them. Their teacher, Mr Johnson, had simply welcomed them into Junior Year. He then yelled at the boy who Stacie had called a werewolf to pay attention, that boy's name was Jesse, and the fact that he had just belittled one of Barden's 'bad-boys' if you will, the man had instantly gained the sisters' respect.

In the class before lunch; Beca had Music and she was ecstatic, not that she would show this visibly. She was also nervous because this was her first class without Stacie, they had agreed to text each other if they could get away with it. Given the size of the classroom, Beca would do just fine in that department. She looked around in awe at the extensive equipment that they had in this class, she felt a person move up behind her and she spun around instantly preparing for a strike.

The person was a woman, who was now holding her hands up in surrender; she had dark hair and kind eyes. "Jumpy?"

"Sorry" Beca shuffled her feet.

"It's alright" The woman smiled, everything about her oozed calmness and serenity, something that Beca was incredibly envious of. "New student? Beca, right?"

Beca nodded. "And you are?"

"Katherine Junk, the music teacher." Miss Junk replied.

Beca's eyes widened. "Oh god I'm sorry, I thought you were a student."

She shook her head. "I'll take that as a compliment" She laughed softly. "Welcome to music theory, since it's the first day I won't be teaching you anything. I'm leaving you to tinker on what you're familiar with; I'll go around and watch to get a good idea of what you guys are good at. Is that okay?"

Beca nodded, she spied a piano at the far side of the room so she instantly moved in that direction. Taking a seat at the bench, she cracked her knuckles and played a few basic scales so she could get into the state of mind. She then reached into her backpack and took out a notepad and a pen; she flipped through the book until she found her half-completed song that she had been working on. All over the page was an array of scribbles and notes that she had been poring over for the last few days. Beca then began to play a few notes and suddenly lost herself in the music, she let her memories of Cassie and Stacie influence which keys she pressed causing her to play an upbeat melody which had her grinning as soon as she finished.

She then quickly wrote down a series of notes in short-hand before she forgot and took out her phone, shooting Stacie a quick message.

 _ **The Tall One (11:24): Okay, so this school might not be as bad as I thought it was going to be.**_

 _ **The Small One (11:27): Told you so Beca, I saw Amy earlier she asked if we'll eat lunch with her? I think some of the other Bellas will be there, feel up to it?**_

 _ **The Tall One (11:28): Sure, but don't expect me to play nice.**_

 _ **The Small One (11:29): Wouldn't dream of it.**_

Beca then placed her phone back into the pocket of her jeans and smiled; she turned back to the keys and noticed a girl standing next to her. She jumped at the sudden appearance of this girl and arched an eyebrow.

"Sorry, I was just listening to you play, you're really good! I'm Emily, Emily Junk"

Beca went to give a disaffected reply, but the girl's name caught her attention. "Junk? As in-" She paused as she looked at the teacher, who was watching her with an impressed look.

"Yeah, I'm her daughter."

Beca pursed her lips. _I should make an effort to be nice to this girl then._ "Nice to meet you Emily, I'm Beca; do you have free periods later?"

"Oh I'm not a junior, I'm a sophomore. I have a free now so I decided to come up here and play some music."

Beca nodded her head absentmindedly; she didn't know how to interact with this girl so she played some songs to pass the time.

"You're the one who saved Benji earlier, right? From Bumper and his crew?" Emily's voice broke through Beca's concentration.

She shrugged modestly. "With the help of my sister and Amy, yeah. It was no big deal."

"Benji is special to me; it's a big deal to me, thank you." Emily spoke with conviction.

Beca stared into Emily's dark eyes, just like her mother's. "It was no problem; Benji seems like a nice guy, I'd be an asshole if I didn't step in."

The two girls sat in the class and carried on talking about life at Barden, Beca found out that there was six members of the Barden Bellas; Aubrey, Chloe, Fat Amy, Cynthia Rose, Jessica and Ashley. Acapella was taken very seriously at this school, and here was a massive respect for the music and sports departments.

"Wait, I get the music department thing, since Acapella's a big deal. Why sport though?" Beca asked.

"You mean besides the idiot football team? Our basketball team does really well here and Coach is part of some Acapella thing so she supports it too." Emily explained.

 _Idiot football team? Great. More assholes._ Beca thought.

* * *

At lunch, Stacie and Beca met up with Amy who steered them towards the cafeteria and to a table where three girls were sat and talking animatedly.

Amy cleared her throat and motioned to the two brunettes. "Bellas, meet the fresh meat."

The blonde haired girl offered a bright smile. "Hi! I'm Jessica" she pointed to the girl with close cropped hair and dark skin. "That's Cynthia Rose" she finally pointed to the brunette sitting next to her. "And this is Ashley."

Cynthia Rose and Ashley gave nods and welcoming smiles. "I'd say you could meet our leaders but I'm pretty sure the Aca-Nazi is off fighting some Treblemaker."

"Aca-Nazi?" Stacie asked.

Amy answered. "Aubrey. She's really strict, like there's always a stick up her arse or something, maybe she's got crabs."

Beca almost choked on her own saliva. Amy grinned at her. "What? I'd be a bit crabby too if I had that."

That pun had all of them groaning, except Beca who would never admit her love for terrible humour.

* * *

Around an hour later, Beca sat in the toilets with her sweatpants with her head in her hands. _Come on, it's okay, you can do this._ She thought to herself furiously in an effort to get her hands to stop shaking. _Stacie's waiting for me, she thinks I've done really well today; I can't let her see me like this._

* * *

Beca had managed to haul herself out of the bathroom and down to the gym, clothed in sweatpants and a skin tight black long-sleeved shirt; a thin blonde woman stopped her before she could enter.

"Who're you?" She asked.

"Beca Mitchell, new student." She replied.

The woman nodded her head in understanding. "I'm the Coach, I'd give you my name but no one uses it, just 'Coach' or even 'Gail' will do. Welcome to Barden, I heard from the Principal that you're interested in sports here?"

Beca nodded.

"See, obviously the teachers that needed to know have a little knowledge about what happened to you, and since you have gym with me I had to be told about your restrictions." Gail explained, looking somewhat guilty.

"It's okay." Beca reassured her, fighting down the feeling to vomit. "I've got most of my strength back so I'm okay for class but I'm gonna wait for a bit before I think joining teams."

"Well, there's a couple of girls on the court but your sister is shooting some hoops, go join her." Gail stepped out of Beca's way and allowed her to pass by, nodding at Beca's look of gratitude.

Walking inside, Beca felt calmer when she looked around at the court, it was massive. She closed her eyes and heard the sounds of sneakers on the polished floor, the buzzing sound of points being scored, the cheering from fellow students.

"Feeling nostalgic, eh champ?"

Beca opened her eyes to see Stacie stood in front of her with a wide grin and a basketball in her hands, she had her hair tied into a loose bun, wore BHS shorts and a tight-fitting tank top.

She nodded to the question and took the ball out of her hands. "Yeah… I miss the adrenaline, that feeling you get when you score a point or make a decent pass."

Beca began dribbling the ball absentmindedly as she spoke, the muscle memory taking over as she made her way down the court, dodging invisible opponents and sneaking her way to the basket. Stacie watched and sighed in happy familiarity as she watched Beca jump and nail a perfect shot, she rushed forward and grabbed the ball but as she was turning around and preparing to duck around Beca, she saw a familiar face sitting on the stands.

Stacie froze for a moment as she realised the girl was watching her and Beca play, along with another girl and Cynthia Rose. Beca took the opportunity to tackle her and laughed at her victory, she then noticed that Stacie wasn't paying attention.

"Earth to Conrad?"

Stacie tore her gaze away from the girl in the stands and grinned at Beca, they got back into the game then but more competitive than before. Beca was able to use her speed to counteract Stacie's height advantage but she had to use more energy to get her shots in as Stacie had a longer reach, therefore better defence. The two wore easy smiles as they danced across the court, too caught up in their little game to notice the three girls approaching them. When Stacie managed to execute a perfect layup, she hit the ground and finally noticed their audience.

"Aubrey, Cynthia Rose." Stacie spoke, wiping some sweat off her forehead.

Beca turned to them also after she had retrieved the ball and began to bounce it to give her hands something to do; she chose not to speak but didn't give them her best smile either.

"Nice to see you again Stacie, Mitchell."

Beca smirked. "Posen."

Stacie rolled her eyes and huffed, this was the second time they had spoken to her and Beca already had a rivalry with the girl.

Beca sighed and pouted. "Sorry I'm a little sweaty; Stacie got competitive and thought she could beat me since she was trying to impress her girlfriend over here."

Both Stacie and Aubrey blushed whilst Cynthia Rose burst out laughing and high-fived Beca. "Man I like this one, can we keep her?"

"You're not _that_ good, Mitchell." Aubrey muttered under her breath indignantly.

Beca said nothing, arrogance was key in these situations, right? She raised an eyebrow and without breaking her eye contact with Aubrey, threw the ball with one hand and straight into the hoop.

Everyone's jaws dropped with an exception to Beca and Stacie.

Cynthia Rose whistled appreciatively. "Damn girl, you got skills. Thinking of joining the team?"

 _That_ made Beca pause for a moment; she shared an unreadable look with Stacie before replying. "I don't know, maybe."

CR nodded. "Well, if you change your mind, two members of the team are standing in front of you. Obviously me." She then turned and pointed at the other girl who hadn't taken her eyes of Beca since she had walked into the court. "This is our captain."

The mystery girl smiled warmly and spoke with a voice that made it obvious she was optimistic and excited by the thought of new students. "Hi! I'm Chloe Beale."

Beca narrowed her eyes. "Benji's cousin, right?"

Chloe nodded and smiled again, _God does this girl ever stop smiling?_ "I want to thank you, I don't even want to think about what Bumper and his crew would have done to him."

Beca shrugged and went to reply but words failed her as Chloe jumped into her arms. She whispered into her ear gently "It's your first day and you've already made a few enemies on behalf of us, meaning to or not, outside of Acapella, consider yourselves Barden Bellas." Before stepping away.

"Cool it down Chloe." Aubrey whispered under her breath, but still loud enough for people to hear.

Beca shot Aubrey a grateful look before locking eyes with Stacie and motioning out the door.

They soon made their excuses and left the building following another thank you from the Bellas for protecting Benji, dragging their bags outside with them. Cassie was sat in the Parking Lot waiting for them and as soon as they had sat down in the car, her questioning had begun.

"So, how was your first day?" She asked.

"Well…" Stacie trailed away, but Beca grinned properly for the first time since they had left the house so she chose to let Beca take this one.

"We'd been there five minutes and almost had a fight with the school's 'bad-boys' so we've got enemies already. We saved a boy from our year from them, partially recruited into a group of girls since Benji's cousin was a part of it. We played some basketball; I had my intro to music today and finished another song I'm working on. Stacie met the love of her life again-"

Stacie gasped and shoved Beca playfully as Cassie laughed. "Are you guys going to be okay? It's your first day and you're already starting fights?"

"Beca actually dealt with it really well Mom!" Stacie gushed, throwing Beca a proud smile. "Only started shaking a little bit when Bumper towered over her, handled it like a pro."

Beca felt herself zone out as Stacie began to talk about her side of the story, she loved that Stacie was recognising that she was getting better. However there was still that desperate voice in the depths of her mind that kept saying _Remember what happened earlier in the bathroom? You're weak. Your father killing you would have been a kindness to them; they don't deserve to be burdened with your sorry existence._

She fought back the feeling of bile rising in her throat and forced a convincing smile to Cassie when she asked about ordering pizza that night.

 _Soon._ She thought. _They won't have to deal with me for much longer._

* * *

"So what did you think of her?"

Chloe, Aubrey, Cynthia Rose and Amy were sat in Chloe's bedroom after school, all discussing the events of the day.

"I can't say I approve of the ear monstrosities or the tattoos but she's alright, a little arrogant though." Aubrey pursed her lips.

"Oh come on!" Chloe protested. "The tattoos are hot."

"Think with your mind not your toner, Chloe Beale."

Chloe smirked. "Same thing."

Cynthia Rose leaned over for a high five as she carried on speaking. "I think she was cool. We have to get her to trust us, but something tells me Stacie won't be much of a problem."

Everyone nudged Aubrey playfully who shot them all dark looks. "We've been asked to keep an eye on them, we can do that right? Besides, they did protect Benji without even thinking."

"Maybe they can sing?" CR shot out an idea.

"Apparently Beca's good at music." Chloe replied, playing with a lock of her hair as she held her hot cocoa.

"And how would you know ginger? Been stalkin' her already?" Amy winked not-so-subtly.

"Shush you" The red head glared playfully. "I heard it from Benji."

Aubrey raised an eyebrow. "And how did he know?"

"She has Miss Junk for music; obviously Emily was in that class."

The girls all hummed as if everything made sense, Benji was so head over heels for Emily it was enough to give them cavities.

"We'll have to ask them when we see them; hopefully we'll have classes together."

Aubrey glanced at Chloe with concern in her eyes. "Chlo, we were told that Beca's not big on affection, maybe take it down a notch or two?"

Chloe nodded and then got up and plugged her iPod in to her speakers, Party in the USA began to blare throughout the room and soon enough four of the six Bellas were on their feet dancing and singing to the tune.

* * *

 ** _So, in summary:_**

 ** _Jesse is an asshole for the foreseeable future (sorry) but Beca might be able to knock him down a few pegs. Chloe and Benji are cousins, Beca has more demons to deal with than everyone thinks, and why are the Bellas so invested in Beca and Stacie?_**

 ** _I feel like I need to make a point of saying that this is a slow-burn fic, there will be flirting, Beca's obliviousness and confusion about her sexuality (she's straight at the minute), and Chloe's curiosity and doubt for if she's preying on Beca's vulnerability._**

 ** _As always, thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed and left a review, if you would be so kind as to let me know what you think of this chapter and maybe some ideas of what I should include then I would be very very grateful._**

 ** _If people want to come and chat with me on my Tumblr (eidraith) about Carmilla Season Zero then I guess I'm cool with that too ;)_**


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